By
Godfrey Benjamin
April 23rd, 2024
Web3, NFT2.0, and the Metaverse became a buzzing topic and a subject of debate in 2021 thanks to the propitious impacts they pose the world to. These trends are worth looking out for in 2022.
Last year rounded up with several concerns and interests geared towards proposed technology toolkits and their potentials to the world. Debates on Web3, NFT2.0, and the Metaverse kept buzzing the air, as many institutions began to unveil plans to venture into the emerging tech trends in the coming year, being 2022.
Tech Trends 2022
Hence, the new year seems to be launching us into the next phase of the tech space that has been moving from generation to generation. Thus, 2022 has begun with lots of expectations concerning what the impacts of these tech trends will be especially on the crypto industry.
Reports from Euronext highlighted the potential of the tech trends and the opinions of some experts and futurists on the matter.
There are tendencies that this may ignite a sense of human renaissance where the impact of technology becomes highly considered as forecasted by some Futurists. Enthusiasts are thereby urged to keep their eyes fast-tracked on these tech trends.
Gerd Leonhard, a Futurist, said:
“Technology is just a tool and it’s not the purpose. I think there’s going to be a renaissance in the sense of people saying, ‘we’re going to rethink this to see if it’s actually good for your life.”
Web3.0: The Next Phase of the Internet
Web3.0 is basically the next generation web/internet that would enable users and machines to interact with data, featuring the key concepts of decentralization, openness, and optimum user satisfaction.
It is simply a new era of the internet that combines the decentralized, community-governed features of web1 together with the improved, modern features of Web2. Obviously, Web2.0 is currently becoming out of vogue, hence making headway for Web3 and its potential. A generation of internet and web that seeks to adopt the same system as that of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Yet, it is towards using an egalitarian philosophy to cut out the Internet’s central gatekeepers such as Google and Facebook.
According to several reports published in the previous year, a handful of companies claimed they are set to jump on the technology following plans for several developments with Web3.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, also made plans for a “deep compatibility” with blockchain technology, following a New York Times report that cited an internal post to employees from Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer (CTO).
Andrew’s post reads:
“My overall guidance is to target a deep compatibility with the blockchain. There aren’t many places where I expect us to depend on it exclusively yet, but if we see an opportunity to work jointly with entrepreneurs in the Web3 space I expect it will be worth the effort.”
Another recent report from Coinspeaker revealed that Smartlink had partnered up with research center CEA to build a Web3 Escrow Solution for its products and services.
New Phase of NFTs and Metaverse to Be Explored in 2022
Aside from Web 3, NFTs are also buzzing trends that became hot topics on the tech scene over the previous year. The concept behind nonfungible tokens won the heart of many individuals and renowned artists, such that NFTs gained massive traction and adoption in 2021.
Considering the massive acceptance of the NFTs model, there are many tech tendencies that the era of NFT2.0 may emerge in 2022. NFT2.0 will be a revolutionized system for non-fungible tokens which seeks to fix the loopholes with NFTs.
Companies like the Dutch Blockchain LTO Network are beginning to stretch productive arms towards the innovation of NFT2.0 as the company revealed an upgrade called Titanium in late 2021. Titanium is designed to solve the issue of current NFTs, which restricts full ownership of non-fungible tokens and the system of trading them through a third party.
Metaverse on the other hand is a combination of virtual reality, augmented reality and video where users “live” within a digital universe that allows them to play games, work and socialize.
The new technological innovation is currently at its early stage but has gained massive adoption as many companies are beginning to integrate with the Metaverse ecosystem. Along with web 3 and NFTs, Metaverse became the major highlights on the tech atmosphere as 2021 was wrapping up. Hence, there are many expectations towards these technologies in 2022, with many big firms already putting their efforts into the Metaverse.
Apple, one of the world’s biggest tech companies, revealed that it is working hard on the technology. Predictions suggest that the company will release its own headsets in 2022. Moreso, some media reports also predicted that Apple’s headsets could include eye-tracking and cameras that could blend VR and AR together.
There Could Be a ‘Human Renaissance’ among Other Tech Trends in 2022
Futurist Gerd Leonhard cited some benefits that he believes could come with the adoption of these technologies when they become officially licensed as he foresees that there could be a “human renaissance”.
According to Feed, the whole discussion about the metaverse is essentially telling us that we can live in a virtual space using an avatar and we don’t need a body.
He further cited what the impression of the people might be on the impact of these technologies saying:
“I see a discussion saying the metaverse is all very cool. But nobody wants to get married in the metaverse. Well, there are people who are interested, but nobody wants to get married to a robot in the metaverse”.
“Technology is just a tool and it’s not the purpose. I think there’s going to be a renaissance in the sense of people saying, ‘we’re going to rethink this to see if it’s actually good for your life,” he added.
The chief futurist and Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP, Mike Bechtel, also expressed his positive thoughts on the outcome of these technologies on the world.
“I think tech companies are really recognizing that automation is the key to freeing time to be more customer-obsessed. And that’s where tech companies are winning today,” said he.
“By examining the lessons learned in the past and applying advanced technology to solve the problems of today, organizations will be able to engineer a better future,” added Bechtel.