The metaverse seems to be on everyone’s mind nowadays. With the Facebook Company rebranding itself as Meta and companies like Snap and Apple exploring the power of new VR and AR technologies, it’s clear that the digital technology industry is entering a new phase with a new focus on the metaverse. Extended reality experiences are becoming a bigger part of many people’s daily life, from entertainment to education, and dozens of metaverse companies are working hard to enable and optimize those experiences.
This trend raises a lot of questions:
We’ll answer all of those questions and more in this guide to metaverse companies.
The meaning of “metaverse” can be hard to pin down. The term encompasses a wide range of technologies, both hardware and software, and can be applied in many different arenas. Using an augmented reality filter on Snapchat to watch a bird dance on your desk is part of the metaverse. Going on an immersive virtual field trip to explore the farthest reaches of the solar system is part of the metaverse, too. What makes these things similar? What makes them different?
Although metaverse is a term that often gets thrown around without being defined, broadly speaking, the metaverse is the future of the Internet — and it’s arriving fast. The metaverse incorporates a huge set of virtual spaces that enable social interaction, learning, and fun.
One major component of the metaverse is the increasing focus on extended reality, also known as cross reality. Extended reality, or XR, describes the technology that people use to gain access to the Metaverse — from their phone camera to a full VR headset. Extended reality can be envisioned as a spectrum with three main categories:
When learners have an experience using augmented reality, mixed reality, or virtual reality, they are entering the metaverse. Whether they are connecting with students in other classrooms or studying in their own private, individual world, they are at the forefront of a new wave of digital evolution. The Internet is now a part of everyday life, with over 90% of U.S. adults — and over 99% of adults under age 30 — using the Internet on a regular basis, a number that has been growing consistently for decades. The metaverse is simply the next phase in that growth.
So that’s the metaverse — but what’s behind it? Who are the digital leaders and companies creating and shaping the metaverse as we speak?
The answers might surprise you. Just as the metaverse is a decentralized network full of hundreds, if not thousands, of individual internet spaces, metaverse companies comprise an enormous range of actors, from small startups to trillion-dollar companies with broad name recognition.
Broadly speaking, we can divide metaverse companies into two main types:
Of course, as with so many things on the Internet, these categories are not neat and tidy. Many metaverse companies create both infrastructure and content, and sometimes the lines between infrastructure and content get blurry. Still, this binary can be useful for analyzing the movers and shakers behind the technology we use for work, school, and more.
Metaverse infrastructure companies are the metaverse companies that design and run large digital platforms or devices. They create the technology that other metaverse companies leverage to create and distribute content. You can think of them as constructing the roadways of the metaverse, ensuring that Internet users have the paths they need to get to the content they want.
Metaverse infrastructure encompasses both hardware and software:
There are tens, if not hundreds or thousands, of companies constructing metaverse infrastructure. Some of those companies are very well-known:
Other infrastructure-driven metaverse companies are less common. There are many small startups working on new VR headsets, optimized operating systems, and the like. There are also metaverse companies small and large working behind the scenes on the technology that enables everyday uses. While the average consumer might not think very much about the cloud computing software and data transfer solutions that allow them to access the internet on a daily basis, there are many companies focused specifically on those very things. These are the companies creating new forms of digital currency and blockchain technology so that living and working in the metaverse becomes a smooth, hassle-free, streamlined experience.
The second type of metaverse company, although usually a little smaller, might be more familiar. That’s because metaverse content companies make the metaverse content that Internet users interact with directly.
Although Apple and Alphabet might make the phone you use to open Google or the web browser you use to access your favorite content, other companies are usually responsible for the actual digital content you consume — the videos, the interactive games, the virtual field trips.
Those companies can be any size or type, and there are literally hundreds of them. One study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that the internet economy is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the overall U.S. economy: it grew seven times faster than the broader economy in recent years, creating over 17 million jobs in four years and generating nearly $2.5 trillion in value in just one year. More of those jobs — 38 percent — came from startups, small companies, and self-employed individuals than from big internet corporations. There are many established corporations getting involved in the growing metaverse, too. Companies like Gucci and Louis Vuitton are creating versions of the products in the metaverse, exploring the potential for virtual metaverse fashion. Vail Ski Resort has a digital replication of its resort, using a high-tech strategy to predict, stabilize, and publicize skiing conditions. Many of these companies are also interested in the growth of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), unique digital files that are increasingly being sold as art or as collectors’ items. But small businesses are key to the metaverse economy.
Kai XR is one such company creating and distributing metaverse content. In some sense, Kai XR operates at the boundary between metaverse infrastructure and content — all of Kai XR’s virtual field trips are accessible from our own website, a form of digital infrastructure. However, Kai XR’s field trips are made to integrate with a range of digital technologies, from smartphones to VR headsets, meaning our content is accessible from a range of infrastructure platforms.
Our metaverse company creates a wide array of content for a wide array of learners, from virtual field trips to the zoo to Black History Month activities for students. These virtual field trips exemplify what the metaverse is all about — providing innovative, interactive, and inclusive forms of learning and play through new digital technologies.
Metaverse companies are making the online content that we use all the time. But why does this matter? Why should we care? How do metaverse companies really affect our daily lives, and where are metaverse companies going in the future?
Those are all broad questions with no easy answers. But there are a few key reasons why metaverse companies are important to research, learn about, and keep track of:
Looking at the metrics makes it clear that one indicator of metaverse companies’ importance is their huge scale and rapid growth. The internet economy is growing fast, just as internet usage itself has skyrocketed.
Even a decade ago, the Internet was responsible for over a fifth of GDP growth in mature economies. Now, as technology evolves, metaverse companies are occupying a larger sector of the internet economy.
Some surveys find that the metaverse will probably have a “transformational” impact on businesses. In fact, over 95% of business executives say that technological progress is more important to their company’s long-term strategy than economic, social, or political changes. A Citi report recently suggested that metaverse companies could create a market worth more than $10 trillion by 2030, with up to five billion users — over half the world’s population.
That growth is also creating plenty of new remote metaverse jobs. That includes developers working for metaverse companies on metaverse infrastructure and content — like facilitating faster digital transactions, managing VR social media spaces, or improving the play experience of VR games for kids. It also includes independent forms of employment, like streamers who make money by playing metaverse games and livestreaming their content for thousands of viewers.
These countless forms of growth highlight just how quickly metaverse companies are becoming a central part of our economy.
Buying products, consuming media, going to school: all of these daily behaviors are being shaped by the metaverse at every moment. What does this mean for us and the way we live?
The changes metaverse companies bring to our daily lives can be both positive and negative. Metaverse companies have room for improvement as they strive to maximize accessibility and inclusivity:
However, with all of that being said, the metaverse still has the potential to do a lot of good for the world. If designed well, there are dozens of benefits of virtual field trips and other forms of extended reality experiences. The metaverse can be an effective and engaging tool for teaching and learning. It can be more accessible for people with limited mobility or limited travel resources, allowing them to see new worlds and collaborate with people from across the globe. And metaverse companies can be used for social-emotional learning in the classroom and to teach 21st century learning skills like civic literacy and global awareness.
Those risks and benefits of the metaverse both explain the last key reason why learning about metaverse companies is important: so that metaverse companies can connect with educators and other changemakers.
The metaverse is still being shaped, and lots of different metaverse companies and employees are currently having an influence on it. Keeping educators engaged in those ongoing conversations — about VR in school, about children and data privacy, and more — can ensure that the metaverse is designed with an eye towards equity, inclusion, and positive impact. Educators can design their own virtual field trips and XR experiences, contribute to conversations with metaverse companies, and play a role in testing, evaluating, and innovating with new metaverse technologies.
That’s the story behind Kai XR. Our founder spent years as a learner and educator before realizing that a growing digital divide was preventing her students from fully accessing the metaverse and all the opportunities it had to offer. That’s why she started creating her own virtual field trips with a 360-degree camera. Now, Kai XR offers dozens of virtual field trips about everything from history to social studies to career exploration. All of our content centers inclusion and equity, helping students feel represented in their learning content and teaching them important skills about connecting with others from diverse backgrounds. Kai XR is just one case study of the power of metaverse companies when they’re connected with experienced educators! We need people who are deeply familiar with the needs and experiences of students to help shape this growing industry.
If we don’t connect metaverse companies with educators, activists, and other impactful people, we risk creating metaverse content and infrastructure that is inequitable, inaccessible, and reinforces existing divides. But if we do connect those groups, we can make the metaverse a way to close the digital divide and forge relationships across boundaries, creating more learning and play opportunities for all.
This article has reviewed all of the following:
If you’re interested in learning more, check out more blog posts about the power of the metaverse, including all of the following:
Dive deeper into the metaverse, XR, VR, and all the tech bringing the next generation of learning to your classroom.
Inaonekana kwamba kila mtu anafikiria kuhusu ulimwengu wa kisasa. Pamoja na kampuni ya Facebook kujipatia jina Meta na makampuni kama Snap na Apple kuchunguza nguvu ya teknolojia mpya za VR na AR, ni wazi kwamba sekta ya teknolojia ya digital inaingia katika awamu mpya na lengo jipya juu ya metaverse. Uzoefu wa hali halisi uliopanuliwa unakuwa sehemu kubwa ya maisha ya kila siku ya watu wengi, kutoka kwa burudani hadi elimu, na makampuni kadhaa ya metaverse yanafanya kazi kwa bidii kuwezesha na kuboresha uzoefu huo. Mwelekeo huu unaibua maswali mengi: Tutajibu maswali hayo yote na zaidi katika mwongozo huu kwa makampuni ya metaverse. Maana ya "metaverse" inaweza kuwa vigumu kufafanua. Neno hilo linajumuisha teknolojia mbalimbali, vifaa na programu, na inaweza kutumika katika maeneo mengi tofauti. Kutumia filters ya hali halisi ya Snapchat kutazama ndege kucheza kwenye dawati lako ni sehemu ya metaverse. Kutembelea sehemu za mbali zaidi za mfumo wa jua ni sehemu ya metaverse. Ni nini kinachofanya mambo hayo yafanane? Ni nini kinachowafanya wawe tofauti? Ingawa metaverse ni neno ambalo mara nyingi hutupwa bila kufafanuliwa, kwa ujumla, metaverse ni siku zijazo za Mtandao <unk> na inakuja haraka. Metaverse inajumuisha seti kubwa ya nafasi virtual kwamba kuruhusu mwingiliano wa kijamii, kujifunza, na furaha. Sehemu moja kuu ya metaverse ni kuongezeka kwa kuzingatia hali halisi iliyoongezwa, inayojulikana pia kama hali halisi ya msalaba. Extended Reality (EAR) ni teknolojia ya VR ambayo hutumiwa na watu kupata upatikanaji wa ulimwengu wa Metaverse kutoka kamera ya simu yao hadi vichwa vya sauti vya VR. Uhalisi ulioongezwa unaweza kuonekana kama wigo na makundi matatu makuu: Wakati wanafunzi wana uzoefu wa kutumia hali halisi iliyoongezwa, hali halisi iliyochanganywa, au hali halisi ya virtual, wanaingia katika metaverse. Iwe wanawasiliana na wanafunzi katika madarasa mengine au wanajifunza katika ulimwengu wao binafsi, wao ni wa kwanza katika wimbi jipya la mageuzi ya dijiti. Mtandao sasa ni sehemu ya maisha ya kila siku, na zaidi ya 90% ya watu wazima wa Marekani na zaidi ya 99% ya watu wazima chini ya umri wa miaka 30 kutumia mtandao kwa ukawaida, idadi ambayo imekuwa ikiongezeka kwa miongo kadhaa. Metaverse ni hatua inayofuata katika ukuaji huo. Hivyo hiyo ni metaverse lakini ni nini nyuma yake? Ni nani viongozi wa dijiti na makampuni yanayounda na kuunda metaverse kama tunavyozungumza? Jibu la swali hilo linaweza kukushangaza. Kama vile metaverse ni mtandao wa kugawanyika uliojaa mamia, ikiwa sio maelfu, ya nafasi za mtandao za mtu binafsi, kampuni za metaverse zinajumuisha aina kubwa ya watendaji, kutoka kwa waanzilishi wadogo hadi kampuni za trilioni na utambuzi wa jina la wingi. Kwa ujumla, tunaweza kugawanya kampuni za metaverse katika aina mbili kuu: Kwa kweli, kama ilivyo na vitu vingi kwenye mtandao, makundi haya hayana utaratibu na usafi. Kampuni nyingi za metaverse huunda miundombinu na maudhui, na wakati mwingine mistari kati ya miundombinu na maudhui inakuwa blurry. Hata hivyo, binary hii inaweza kuwa na manufaa kwa ajili ya kuchambua movers na shakers nyuma ya teknolojia sisi kutumia kwa ajili ya kazi, shule, na zaidi. Kampuni za miundombinu ya metaverse ni kampuni za metaverse ambazo hutengeneza na kuendesha majukwaa makubwa ya dijiti au vifaa. Wao kuunda teknolojia kwamba makampuni mengine metaverse leverage kuunda na kusambaza maudhui. "Kama vile tunavyoweza kuona, ""metaverse"" ni njia ya mtandao ambayo inahakikisha kwamba watumiaji wa mtandao wana njia za kufikia maudhui wanayotaka." Metaverse miundombinu inajumuisha vifaa na programu: Kuna makumi, kama si mamia au maelfu, ya makampuni kujenga miundombinu metaverse. Baadhi ya makampuni hayo ni maarufu sana: Makampuni mengine ya metaverse yanayoendeshwa na miundombinu ni ya kawaida kidogo. Kuna makampuni mengi madogo ya kuanza kufanya kazi kwenye vichwa vya sauti vipya vya VR, mifumo ya uendeshaji iliyoboreshwa, na kadhalika. Pia kuna makampuni madogo na makubwa ya metaverse yanayofanya kazi nyuma ya pazia kwenye teknolojia ambayo inaruhusu matumizi ya kila siku. Wakati watumiaji wa kawaida wanaweza kuwa hawafikiri sana juu ya programu ya kompyuta ya wingu na uhamisho wa data ambayo huwawezesha kupata mtandao kila siku, kuna makampuni mengi yaliyozingatia hasa mambo hayo. Kampuni hizi zinaunda aina mpya za sarafu ya dijiti na teknolojia ya blockchain ili kuishi na kufanya kazi katika metaverse iwe uzoefu laini, bila shida, na rahisi. Aina ya pili ya kampuni ya metaverse, ingawa kwa kawaida ni ndogo kidogo, inaweza kuwa ya kawaida zaidi. Hiyo ni kwa sababu makampuni ya maudhui ya metaverse hufanya maudhui ya metaverse ambayo watumiaji wa mtandao huingiliana nao moja kwa moja. Ingawa Apple na Alphabet zinaweza kutengeneza simu unayotumia kufungua Google au kivinjari cha wavuti unachotumia kupata yaliyomo yako unayopenda, kampuni zingine kwa kawaida zinawajibika kwa yaliyomo halisi ya dijiti unayotumia - video, michezo ya maingiliano, safari za uwanja wa virtual. Kampuni hizo zinaweza kuwa za ukubwa au aina yoyote, na kuna mamia ya kampuni hizo. "Utafiti wa Interact Advertising Bureau uligundua kuwa uchumi wa mtandao ni moja ya sekta zinazokua kwa kasi zaidi katika uchumi wa jumla wa Marekani: ilikua mara saba kwa kasi kuliko uchumi wa jumla katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, ikitengeneza zaidi ya kazi milioni 17 katika miaka minne na kuzalisha karibu $ 2.5 trilioni kwa thamani katika mwaka mmoja tu. """ Zaidi ya kazi hizo - asilimia 38 - zilitoka kwa waanzilishi, makampuni madogo, na watu binafsi kuliko kutoka kwa mashirika makubwa ya mtandao. Kuna makampuni mengi yaliyowekwa yanayohusika katika metaverse inayokua, pia. Kampuni kama vile Gucci na Louis Vuitton zinaunda matoleo ya bidhaa katika metaverse, kugundua uwezo wa mitindo ya metaverse virtual. Vail Ski Resort ina replica digital ya mapumziko yake, kwa kutumia mkakati wa teknolojia ya juu kutabiri, kuimarisha, na kutangaza hali ya skiing. Kampuni nyingi pia zinavutiwa na ukuaji wa ishara zisizo za kuambukiza (NFTs), faili za kipekee za dijiti ambazo zinauzwa kama sanaa au vitu vya kukusanya. Biashara ndogo ndogo ni muhimu kwa uchumi wa metaverse. XR Kai ni moja ya kampuni hizo kuunda na kusambaza maudhui metaverse. Kwa maana fulani, Kai XR inafanya kazi katika mpaka kati ya miundombinu ya metaverse na maudhui - safari zote za uwanja wa Kai XR zinapatikana kutoka kwa wavuti yetu wenyewe, aina ya miundombinu ya dijiti. Hata hivyo, safari za uwanja wa Kai XR zimeundwa kuunganisha na teknolojia mbalimbali za dijiti, kutoka kwa simu za mkononi hadi vichwa vya VR, ikimaanisha maudhui yetu yanapatikana kutoka kwa majukwaa mbalimbali ya miundombinu. Kampuni yetu ya metaverse huunda maudhui mbalimbali kwa wanafunzi mbalimbali, kutoka safari za virtual za uwanja hadi bustani ya wanyama hadi shughuli za Mwezi wa Historia Nyeusi kwa wanafunzi. Safari hizi za uwanja wa virtual zinaonyesha nini metaverse ni kuhusu - kutoa aina za ubunifu, maingiliano, na ujumuishaji wa kujifunza na kucheza kupitia teknolojia mpya za dijiti. Kampuni za Metaverse zinatengeneza maudhui ya mtandaoni ambayo tunatumia wakati wote. Lakini kwa nini jambo hilo ni muhimu? Kwa nini tuwe na wasiwasi? Kampuni za Metaverse zinafanya nini na zinafanya nini katika maisha yetu ya kila siku? Hizo zote ni maswali ya kina yasiyo na majibu rahisi. Lakini kuna sababu kadhaa muhimu kwa nini makampuni ya metaverse ni muhimu kwa utafiti, kujifunza kuhusu, na kufuatilia: Kuangalia metrics hufanya wazi kwamba moja ya kiashiria cha makampuni metaverse umuhimu ni ukubwa wao kubwa na ukuaji wa haraka. Uchumi wa mtandao unakua haraka, kama vile matumizi ya mtandao yenyewe yameongezeka sana. Hata miaka kumi iliyopita, mtandao ulikuwa na jukumu la zaidi ya tano ya ukuaji wa Pato la Taifa katika uchumi wa kukomaa. Sasa, kama teknolojia inabadilika, makampuni ya metaverse yanashikilia sekta kubwa ya uchumi wa mtandao. Baadhi ya tafiti kupata kwamba metaverse pengine itakuwa na "transformational" athari juu ya biashara. Zaidi ya asilimia 95 ya watendaji wa biashara wanasema maendeleo ya kiteknolojia ni muhimu zaidi kwa mkakati wa muda mrefu wa kampuni yao kuliko mabadiliko ya kiuchumi, kijamii au kisiasa. Ripoti ya Citi ilionyesha hivi karibuni kwamba kampuni za metaverse zinaweza kuunda soko lenye thamani ya zaidi ya $ 10 trilioni ifikapo 2030, na hadi watumiaji bilioni tano - zaidi ya nusu ya idadi ya watu ulimwenguni. Ukuaji huo pia unaunda kazi nyingi mpya za mbali za metaverse. "Hiyo inajumuisha watengenezaji wanaofanya kazi kwa makampuni ya ""metaverse"" kwenye miundombinu na maudhui ya ""metaverse"" kama kuwezesha shughuli za haraka za dijiti, kusimamia nafasi za vyombo vya habari vya kijamii vya VR, au kuboresha uzoefu wa kucheza wa michezo ya VR kwa watoto." Hii inahusisha aina za kazi za kujitegemea, kama vile watangazaji wa video ambao hupata pesa kwa kucheza michezo ya metaverse na kusambaza maudhui yao kwa maelfu ya watazamaji. Aina hizi zisizohesabika za ukuaji zinaangazia jinsi kampuni za metaverse zinavyokuwa sehemu kuu ya uchumi wetu. Ununuzi wa bidhaa, matumizi ya vyombo vya habari, kwenda shule: tabia hizi zote za kila siku zinaundwa na metaverse kila wakati. Hilo linamaanisha nini kwetu na kwa njia yetu ya kuishi? Mabadiliko ambayo makampuni ya metaverse huleta katika maisha yetu ya kila siku yanaweza kuwa mazuri na mabaya. Kampuni za Metaverse zina nafasi ya kuboresha wakati zinapojitahidi kuongeza upatikanaji na ujumuishaji: Hata hivyo, na yote hayo yamesemwa, Metaverse bado ina uwezo wa kufanya mengi mazuri kwa ulimwengu. Ikiwa imeundwa vizuri, kuna faida nyingi za safari za uwanja wa kawaida na aina zingine za uzoefu wa ukweli ulioongezwa. Metaverse inaweza kuwa chombo cha ufanisi na kuvutia kwa ajili ya kufundisha na kujifunza. Inaweza kuwa rahisi zaidi kwa watu wenye uhamaji mdogo au rasilimali za kusafiri, na kuwawezesha kuona ulimwengu mpya na kushirikiana na watu kutoka kote ulimwenguni. Kampuni za metaverse zinaweza kutumika kwa kujifunza kijamii na kihisia katika darasa na kufundisha ujuzi wa kujifunza wa karne ya 21 kama vile ujuzi wa kiraia na ufahamu wa kimataifa. "Madhara na faida za metaverse zote mbili zinaelezea sababu ya mwisho ya msingi kwa nini kujifunza kuhusu makampuni ya metaverse ni muhimu: ili makampuni ya metaverse yaweze kuungana na walimu na watengenezaji wengine wa mabadiliko. """ Metaverse bado inaundwa, na kampuni nyingi tofauti za metaverse na wafanyikazi kwa sasa wana ushawishi juu yake. Kuweka walimu kushiriki katika mazungumzo hayo ya kuendelea - kuhusu VR shuleni, kuhusu watoto na faragha ya data, na zaidi - inaweza kuhakikisha kwamba metaverse ni iliyoundwa na jicho kuelekea usawa, ujumuishaji, na athari chanya. Walimu wanaweza kubuni safari zao za uwanja wa virtual na uzoefu wa XR, kuchangia mazungumzo na makampuni ya metaverse, na kuchukua jukumu katika kupima, kutathmini, na kubuni teknolojia mpya za metaverse. Hiyo ni hadithi nyuma ya Kai XR. Mwanzilishi wetu alitumia miaka kama mwanafunzi na mwalimu kabla ya kutambua kwamba mgawanyiko wa dijiti unaoongezeka ulikuwa ukizuia wanafunzi wake kutoka kwa ufikiaji kamili wa metaverse na fursa zote alizokuwa nazo. Kwa hivyo, kwa sababu ya kuvutia, aliamua kuunda safari yake mwenyewe ya uwanja wa virtual na kamera ya digrii 360. KaiXR inatoa safari za virtual za uwanja juu ya kila kitu kutoka historia hadi masomo ya kijamii hadi utafutaji wa kazi. Maudhui yetu yote yanazingatia ujumuishaji na usawa, kusaidia wanafunzi kuhisi kuwakilishwa katika maudhui yao ya kujifunza na kuwafundisha ujuzi muhimu kuhusu kuungana na wengine kutoka asili tofauti. Kai XR ni tu moja ya masomo ya kesi ya nguvu ya makampuni metaverse wakati wao ni kushikamana na walimu wenye uzoefu! Tunahitaji watu ambao wanafahamu mahitaji na uzoefu wa wanafunzi kusaidia kuunda sekta hii inayokua. Ikiwa hatutaunganisha kampuni za metaverse na walimu, wanaharakati, na watu wengine wenye athari, tunahatarisha kuunda yaliyomo na miundombinu ya metaverse ambayo sio sawa, haiwezi kufikiwa, na inaimarisha mgawanyiko uliopo. Lakini ikiwa tutaunganisha makundi hayo, tunaweza kufanya metaverse njia ya kufunga mgawanyiko wa dijiti na kuunda mahusiano zaidi ya mipaka, kuunda fursa zaidi za kujifunza na kucheza kwa wote. Kama una nia ya kujifunza zaidi, angalia machapisho zaidi ya blogi kuhusu nguvu ya metaverse, ikiwa ni pamoja na yote yafuatayo: Piga mbizi zaidi ndani ya metaverse, XR, VR, na teknolojia yote inayoleta kizazi kijacho cha kujifunza darasani.