Is blockchain necessary to ensure widespread use of the metaverse?

Stanford University professor Jeremy Bailenson moderated a World Economic Forum panel with thinkers of Metaverse and blockchain. Bailenson, founder of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Laboratory, told the Cointelegraph that the consensus was that Metaverse could exist without a blockchain, Cointelegraph reported.

“Bailenson came up with the metaverse Second Life, which was founded in 2003. With 70 million registered accounts, Second Life has developed a robust economy where digital assets are brought and sold,” said Bailenson.

“You do not need a blockchain to activate the meta-verse,” said Yonatan Raz-Fridman, founder and CEO of SuperSocial.

Blockchain will play a key role in Metaverse along with artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR).

“Companies like Meta have to compromise on interoperability if they expect to participate. This meant that avatars could switch from one Metaverse project to another by putting on the digital clothing,” said Raz-Fridman.

“In metaverse, blockchain technology can provide the ‘crypto-DNA’ that ensures a one-to-one mapping of the individual to an avatar,” Bailenson added.

“Metaverse without blockchain is both conceivable and feasible. But if the main goal is democratization of the Internet, not to mention accessibility, transparency and platform interoperability, Metaverse must include blockchain.”

Metaversen is a seamless convergence of our physical and digital lives, and creates a unified, virtual community where we can work, play, relax, shop and socialize. Metaversen is still early in its development, and there is no unique, all-encompassing definition that people can turn to. Themes about what the metaverse is and can be, however, emerge.

A key point is that there is not one virtual world, but many worlds that are taking shape to enable people to deepen and expand social interactions digitally. The digital experience is made by adding an immersive and three-dimensional layer to the web that creates more authentic and natural experiences.

New methods of shopping and owning digital goods allow creators to monetize their activities through tokens. The development of more immersive virtual experiences leads people to create societies based on common values ​​where they can express themselves in more authentic ways.