The metaverse, the concept of social interactions occurring in virtual worlds, Facebook and Co are hunting for the next big thing. But what do people actually think of it?
When you hear today METAVERSE, what comes first to your mind? I am sitting on the bus turned my head and asked the person next to me. He looked at me, “Never heard, what is this?” I tried to explain it in simple words and did not achieve it, the answer I got back was, “I am not interested in social media.” So here comes the question, who is the target age group for the coming up booming topic.
Propeller Insights and NordVPN surveyed 1,002 Americans age 18 and older to find out what do people think about this topic. An infographic (below) illustrates findings from the research.
The research focused on two topics mainly, what do people know about METAVERSE and do they believe it will replace social networks. There is no surprise that the majority of people don’t know much about the topic.
The ones who could know about the topic have been asked if they will join once it is available. 74% of Americans will be joining (or considering joining) the metaverse.
The reason why Americans would like to join, 41% want to experience things they can’t in a physical reality. 38% think it could be a positive way to unite people. 28% want to escape their physical surroundings. 23% want to become a different person other than their real self. 40% just want to communicate with others in the space. 28% foresee educational opportunities.
On the question can the metaverse replace social media? 55% of Americans do not know what the metaverse is and 14% can tell people what it is and how it will work.
All over 66% think the Metaverse can replace social media as we currently know and use it. 24% of the audience think it can totally replace social media while 42% think it can partially replace it.
On the question what concerns does the metaverse pose? 87% mention concern about their privacy if Facebook succeeds in creating the metaverse. 50% of Americans fear it will be too easy for hackers to impersonate others.
45% fear that even more data can be collected and used against them. 47% do not trust that their identity will be legally protected. 43% are concerned of not being sure of the identity of others. 41% think it will be hard to protect their real identity from being revealed in the metaverse. 37% fear that their transactions won’t be very secure.
But coming back to the question, who would be along for the ride on METAVERSE?
74% of Americans will be joining (or considering joining) the metaverse.
- 41% want to experience things they can’t in a physical reality.
- 38% think it could be a positive way to unite people.
- 28% want to escape their physical surroundings.
- 23% want to become a different person other than their real self.
- 28% foresee educational opportunities.
Propeller Insights conducted the survey with 1002 U.S. consumers aged 18 and above on behalf of NordVPN in December 2021.
Wrap Up
The numbers are no surprise, and I wonder personally what would the numbers look like in Europe or Asia? Over the last century, we know that U.S. consumers are slow adopters. Remember the coverage and utilization of mobile phones. The U.S. stayed a long time behind the coverage and usage of mobile phones worldwide. Privacy topics will show us if the METAVERSE will succeed quickly in the U.S. or in Europe. The GDPR and E.U. consumer law set out specific rules for terms and data policies that can be incorporated for European users. So let us see what happens next and who wins the race.
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