*Editor’s note: K-VIBE invites experts from various K-culture sectors to share their extraordinary discovery about the Korean culture.
Chronicles of Metaverse: MZ, The New Generation in the Metaverse Era
By Noh Seok-joon (Master K-architect engineer)
What is the biggest contributor to the evolution of the metaverse?
Obviously, it's technology. But what happens if, no matter how advanced technology becomes, there are no active users to utilize it?
Even the highest-performing dishwasher becomes less useful if people prefer to wash dishes by hand. Likewise, an expensive luxury bag is nothing more than a decorative item if it's only stored in the closet and never used.
In this sense, the biggest contributor to the evolution of the metaverse is the digital MZ generation, the users themselves.
For the MZ generation, who have grown up with digital videos and games as part of their daily life, the digital environment is not unfamiliar, but rather a new and exciting challenge. The metaverse is no different. Having already become familiar with the metaverse environment through gaming, the MZ generation now expects a more vibrant and developed metaverse.
For the digitally native MZ generation, the digital virtual world is not an unrealistic and detached fantasy world. They are already making friends, showcasing their personalities, and engaging in hobbies within the metaverse.
They also attach unique recognition values to their creations, authenticate the originals, and sell them for profit. The metaverse has evolved from a mere gaming platform into an integral part of their lives.
◇ MZ Generation is Already Living in the Metaverse
How closely the metaverse can connect to the real world is another important factor in its development. If the virtual world of the metaverse is entirely detached from reality, people's interest in it would not last long.
It would become a limited virtual world, attracting only a few gaming enthusiasts or escapists who wish to escape from the real world.
Of course, the ultimate goal of the future metaverse is the seamless integration and fusion of the virtual and real worlds. The metaverse is not a separate world sought only by escapists or dreamers, but a new world where ordinary people think of it as part of their daily lives and actively participate.
For this reason, the metaverse worlds that companies are creating are gradually evolving. ZEPETO, the metaverse platform operated by Naver, has 200 million registered users, 80% of whom are from the MZ generation. While the age group of users is similar to that of the metaverse game platform Roblox, ZEPETO is distinctly focused on the 'life' aspect of the virtual world, setting it apart.
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| ▲ ZEPETO, captured from ZEPETO official website. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The "MZ generation," encompassing millennials born in the early 1980s and Generation Z born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, is already utilizing the metaverse as part of their daily lives. In the virtual world, they don't just make friends with strangers whose identities are unknown.
They make appointments with real-life friends, meet in specific spaces within the metaverse, share daily stories, and even solve tasks together. Due to the difficulty of meeting in person during the COVID-19 pandemic, some universities have held events like entrance ceremonies or festivals in the metaverse.
Students styled their avatars and interacted with friends in the virtual campus to enjoy these events together.
But that's not all. The MZ generation also enjoys performances of their favorite stars in the metaverse. In 2020, global rapper Travis Scott held a concert in the metaverse on the online game platform Fortnite, with around 28 million players participating to enjoy the music.
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| ▲ Travis Scott Fortnite concert, captured from Travis Scott official website. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), the leader of the global Hallyu (Korean Wave) craze and the world's top boy group, also showcased a music video in the metaverse and held a fan meeting with avatars. Another key figure in the Hallyu movement, the girl group BLACKPINK, held a fan signing event in ZEPETO, where they interacted with 46 million fans from around the world.
In the digital virtual space of the metaverse, users face each other as avatars, digital characters. However, users do not perceive these avatars as mere illusions or fakes. They trust that the avatars of their favorite stars singing, dancing, greeting, and signing in front of them are real, and they cheer and engage with them even more enthusiastically. They feel an even closer bond with these stars than in the real world. For the MZ generation, the metaverse is already a new world that connects the virtual and the real, and they approach all activities in it with sincerity.
Thus, the avatars in the metaverse and the real "self" are not separate but are interconnected, influencing and communicating with each other. All activities occurring in the metaverse cannot be separated from the real world. The metaverse has already become an integral part of the real world that future generations will live in.
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