With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing humans to live increasing portions of their lives online, the Metaverse has gained traction, and public and corporate interest in it has accelerated. A 2022 survey by Gartner (IANS, 2022) shows that nearly two-thirds (58%) of the public has at least heard of the Metaverse. But despite having heard of the Metaverse, almost everyone is still wondering just what it is, or will be, and what its implications are for journalism, media, and society in a post-pandemic world; many teens don't care about the Metaverse despite interest in virtual reality (VR) (Steele, 2022; Tran, 2022; Milano, 2022). The Gartner survey shows that 94% of the public would be uncomfortable trying to explain the Metaverse to someone else. A survey by Global consulting giant Accenture shows that 71% of business executives think the Metaverse will change how businesses operate and interact with their customers (Torkington, 2022). Examining the nature of the Metaverse and outlining the scope of its implications for journalism are the topics of this chapter.

Immersive and Interactive Internet

As of this writing, there is no single, agreed-upon definition of the Metaverse and how it will be designed and built (Takahashi, 2022; Green & Works, 2022). For the purpose of this book, the Metaverse is defined as an immersive and interactive virtual world or constellation of networked virtual worlds. As such, the Metaverse is a key development in the next generation of the broadband, publicly accessible Internet. Although anyone may have access to the Metaverse as they might enter a privately owned shopping mall in the real world, that access may be contingent on a variety of conditions, from affirming acceptance of a user agreement to paying for entry or the requisite technological devices. Immersive means it is an enveloping, 3D form of media and communication. Immersive media today come most typically in the form of augmented reality (AR) and VR, which are labeled eXtended Reality (XR). These forms are three dimensional (3D); they have depth. Although they are virtual, they often are digital analogs to the physical world which similarly is enveloping. Immersive media not only have depth but they also surround the user in a 360-degree virtual space.