When Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Founder of Facebook, introduced the social media giant’s rebrand into “Meta” at Connect 2021 last October, shockwaves rolled throughout the industry. This marked a direct advancement of the company’s stated goal of building communities into a future right out of a science fiction novel. In their press release and in his keynote speech, Zuckerberg explained that they were combining their family of global apps and technologies—Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus—to “bring the metaverse to life and help people connect, find communities and grow businesses.”

A few months later in January of 2022, CES, “The Most Influential Tech Event in the World,” returned in-person to Las Vegas after a COVID-hiatus to highlight “The Trends Shaping the Technology of Tomorrow.” These trends include the “expansion of intelligent automation” and the “nascent metaverse.” Global communications technology giant Samsung presented a keynote on its vision for an “Age of Togetherness” where it described a future built upon the sustainable marriage of technology and every aspect of life. Industry giants displayed products across the event revealing all the new ways they were integrating technology into your businesses, your hobbies, and, yes, even your kitchen appliances.

You’ve also probably heard about the blockchain aspects of the metaverse without realizing they’re related. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, once a novelty (and still often a meme such as with Dogecoin), dominate the market landscape alongside stocks and bonds. Non-Fungible Tokens (“NFTs”) are being embraced worldwide as a unique way to own “one-of-a-kind” digital items.

Facebook and Samsung are just two of many market leaders driving this direction of innovation. Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet (Google) all have smart home technologies in residences around the world and continue to introduce new products designed to integrate technology seamlessly into all aspects of our lives. Video game developers have long been leading the race for the introduction of creating a virtual universe, but it seems that we’re shaping up for it to encompass more than a subset of hobbies.

The Future Is Digital

Simply put, no matter how much you want to resist the inevitable creep of change, the future is overwhelmingly digital. After two years of rapid technological advancement and adoption across all industries in response to the harsh realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, market leaders are seizing the opportunity to drive even more advancement into the digital metaverse.

Now more than ever, jobs are less tied to an office building, a city, or a time zone. More worrying for employers, employees are less tied than ever to their employers—constantly seeking the wages, benefits, and work-life balance that changing jobs can provide.

But before you spend too much time thinking about the logistics and technology costs of attending Virtual Reality board meetings as opposed to Zoom video calls, first you have to make sure that your business is working on a foundation of modern technologies. You are not going to retain employees by giving them virtual reality headsets. You’re going to retain your employees by giving them a place to work that embraces a platform of technological integration that sets them up for success in both their work and personal lives.

The further behind you fall in technological adoption—from cloud-based services to the latest security features to protect your assets, your clients, and your employees—the harder it will be to compete in the approaching marketplace. If employees don’t trust that your business has a future, they won’t stick around to find out if their thoughts are correct.

Adaptation Is Key

The Metaverse may not be an integral part of our society right now, but it’s hard to predict how quickly these technologies will become the majority. After all, Facebook just turned 18 on February 4th. It’s hard to imagine the landscape of the internet and modern society without this company which is still a teenager! Innovation is accelerating. The good news is your ability to adapt still stands strong. The Metaverse is here and the future may be digital, but it’s the people behind the screens that still drive the connections.

At Davis Professional Services, we want to see your business succeed. Technology doesn’t have to be intimidating and integrating it doesn’t have to mean that your entire business must be re-organized top to bottom. Facing the future requires foresight and sustainability. Our team of professionals are here to help your business identify the best opportunities to perform in the here and now and going forth into the Metaverse. We’d love to talk to you about how we can help you integrate and prepare for the future.