Almost 30 years after being introduced in Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, a concept gained new life when, in 2021, numerous tech giants announced the coming age of a new, "embodied" internet: the "metaverse". While Stephenson did not precisely define the term and though it still lacks a consistent description today, the metaverse can be understood as a large-scale network of persistent virtual worlds across which users may maintain a continous identity (personalisable avatar, personal (digital) assets, etc.) and in which they experience a sense of presence. (Ball 2022, 29) The network of interconnected, immersive virtual worlds that are to make up the "Metaverse" will, according to its promoters, revolutionise the digital economy. Its hype was, however, shortlived, and today it remains to be seen how much of the metaverse is real and how much is (science) fiction.
This seminar will introduce students to the concept of the Metaverse, its speculative beginnings in science fiction, its present technological and economic reality, and its potential future(s).
Prüfungsleistung: Referat und Hausarbeit, Abgabe bis 31.03.2026
FlexNow-An- und -Abmeldung: 01.01. - 30.03.2026