Investing in Facebook Stock Is Just One Way to Invest in the Metaverse

While the metaverse may sound like a new concept to many, it’s been around for years. Billions of people use the internet every day, and there’s a good chance that most of those users have interacted with the metaverse without even knowing it. It’s possible that you've already invested in the metaverse through investing in a company.

The digital world has been around for decades, but now with companies such as Facebook (now Meta), focusing more on the concept, the digital and physical will become more intertwined with each other. As the metaverse grows, tasks in the real world can become easier for people.

The metaverse can be thought of as a digital universe, where augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality are all mixed together. It’s where the internet meets 3D environments and simulations, allowing people to interact with objects and other people in a completely different landscape than the real world.

The metaverse has existed for many years, with the name becoming more widely used recently. Different types of 3D realities have been introduced to people before, in the form of video games, applications, devices, and special locations.

Virtual reality

One part of the metaverse that many people are familiar with is VR. The technology involves immersing yourself in a virtual world using some type of device. The device typically consists of a VR headset that lets you see a virtual 3D world.

This technology is commonly found in the video game and entertainment industries—an example would be Sony having its own VR headsets for watching movies and playing video games. There are other devices that have VR capabilities as well, such as cell phones that can be used as VR headsets by installing software and attachments.

Augmented reality

AR has become more popular, as it doesn’t typically require a special type of device such as a VR headset. AR provides an interactive experience of the real world, allowing you to still see your surrounding settings but with digital objects as well. AR is commonly explored by using a phone and viewing AR through the screen.

One example of AR is the Pokemon Go mobile game, the game that took the world by storm and generated over $1 billion in revenue within a year after launching in 2016. Pokemon Go allows people to travel across the world and capture digital Pokemon monsters through their phones. A user’s cell phone captures the real world in 3D using a camera lens, while the video game provides the software needed to view the game’s contents in the real world through the device’s screen.

Google uses AR as well with its Google Maps application. The application allows users to view their real surroundings in 3D through their device, while virtual directions appear on their screen to guide them.

Mixed reality

Mixed reality simply combines VR and AR, with people using a headset or similar device to view the real world combined with a virtual world. Physical and digital objects coexist, and the user can interact with both.

Investing in the metaverse can be possible by investing in companies that use technologies involving the digital world. Companies such as Facebook (FB, now MRVS) or Sony (SONY). There’s also the popular Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, which is designed to replicate the performance of the metaverse.

One cryptocurrency that's surged is the MANA token. The MANA coin is used to power Decentraland, a VR platform. Decentraland uses the Ethereum blockchain to create a decentralized virtual world where users can purchase virtual land, goods, and more.