While the rest of the world is talking about Facebook’s new vision and development as well as the name change, this article delves into the impact Meta will have on the labour market and internet services. Will new specialist skills be required? What trends will change on social media? Will services be in demand that exceeds the market supply? Read on to find out more.
Facebook will be deprecated in favour of the new brand, which will unite all existing services under one umbrella. The company's representatives stressed that the social network would continue to develop independently - it will not disappear but instead, become part of a larger system. This announcement was made by Mark Zuckerberg at the annual developer conference in San Francisco (28th October 2021).
The head of Facebook explained how they are moving from simple applications to creating systems where anything that you cannot do in the real world will become possible thanks to the variety of virtual spaces and possibilities in the world of Meta.
How will the world of Meta exist?
Thanks to the possibilities of virtual and augmented reality, real-time holograms, and social networks, we will be able to go to digital parties, play games, try on new clothes, participate in conferences and much more.
Let's take a closer look at one of the Meta brand products - Horizon Home. As the name suggests, it is the home base in the digital world of Meta. Once you put on your Oculus Quest VR headset, and with your real-time personalised avatar, you will be able to teleport your digital “living avatar” and invite your friends to play games together in your digital home, watch videos or even work. Horizon workrooms are created for people to collaborate effectively online, this option erases all boundaries of distance as, thanks to Horizon workrooms, you can experience the feeling of being in the same room with your colleagues, though it won’t matter where you are physically (in the real world). You do not need any special equipment to join a meeting in the Horizon workroom, it works across both an internet device as well as with virtual reality. The open beta version is available in countries where Oculus Quest 2 is supported. For the moment, Malta is not on the list, but we are hoping that it soon will be.
Can you imagine hanging out with your friends in virtual reality just using a messenger call? Instead of a simple audio call, you will be able to jump into a completely new virtual destination with your smartphone through Messenger support in VR. More about Messengers VR call here.
Your future workplace
Once you get to use Horizon workrooms and you customise your real-time 3D avatar, it will be no surprise that you will need to use more applications and software than you usually do in your workplace. Quest for Business is a new portfolio of applications designated for business and available for those who have a Quest 2 headset. Services like Slack, Dropbox, Facebook, and Instagram will soon launch their 2D panel apps which you can download from a Quest Store.
How does this impact your life?
As we already experienced through COVID-19, remote working is going to be the biggest trend among office workers in the coming years, where you can be present in a meeting despite your geographical location. In the Meta universe, exchanging documents, team building activities, working on the same presentation, attending conferences – you’ll do all this while being in the same digital room where you will be present as a real-time hologram.
How will the labour market change and what will the digital trends be for business?
- The demand for 3D visualisers will be high, as Meta will provide you with your avatar, but you'll probably want to have your unique one. It will also be necessary for businesses to create a logo in a 3D format and other branding materials to participate in the Metaverse.
- E-commerce business will change to Meta format business. Whether you are a restaurant or boutique owner selling goods online, consider that in the future you might need to create your Meta shop or restaurant, where people can go and check your store in 3D hologram format.
- Soon, we will see many new job positions, possibly with job titles looking like Virtual Reality Architect, Virtual Reality Creator, r Virtual Reality Security Officer. While a Meta universe adds additional risk in terms of security around personal information, psychical location, preferences, etc. the Virtual Reality Security Officer will be responsible for data security.
- Consultants will be needed that can guide how to transform a business from offline to online and adapt to a Meta universe - for differen business sizes and industries.
- Market leaders will want to create their Meta universe to control the customer experience so that customers can enjoy consistent experiences across all channels: websites, social media, mobile apps, and retail stores, including those in the 3D digital meta world.
A few years ago, the Spielberg film “Ready Player One” hinted at such fantastic possibilities as well as the recently released “Free Guy”. The promise of the Meta universe perhaps brings us a step closer and where the cinematic concept might have been lost on many, the changes to everyday life that Meta brings will be more noticeable. So, if you still haven’t considered how to get your business to succeed in the online world, now is the time. Don’t delay any longer, ask Deloitte Digital for help. We’ll guide you towards a plan for your success in the online market.