Technology Trends Featured in 2024 | MetaVerse, VR and AR
Technology Trends Featured in 2024. At the beginning of each year, the ninth of the upcoming trend report prepared by Wunderman Thompson, which provides a summary of the trends that will be effective that year, was published in recent weeks. This year’s report shows that despite the world’s ongoing economic crisis, political instability, uncertainty and environmental disruption focused on the climate crisis, people expect hope, joy and happiness…
As “Joyconomy” (the economics of joy), a term coined by Wunderman Thompson, emphasizes, people’s willingness to show resilience, joy, and innovation in the face of ongoing challenges point to opportunities for brands that respond to consumers’ expectation of inspiration and optimism. In this report, which discusses 10 trends that will stand out in 10 different focuses, We have compiled the trends that stand out in terms of technology.
The metaverse is at the heart of digital transformation and technology trends. Technology Trends Featured in 2024
Wunderman Thompson is one of the research firms that consistently analyzes the metaverse for its impact on industries. In his report Future 100: 2023, Wunderman Thompson examines the near future as the next era of digital life takes shape with a focus on the metaverse. However, the fact that the metaverse was so prominent in the report and the effort to connect almost all technology trends to the metaverse seems not right.
Among the technologies we describe as parts of the Metaverse are AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), AI (artificial intelligence), blockchain, NFT and Web 3.0 infrastructure. Wunderman Thompson’s decision to connect these technologies and applications to the metaverse already mislead expectations in the face of the fact that it is not a metaverse to be used for end users today and will not be in 2024.
After all, before 5G becomes widespread, AR, VR and MR (mixed reality) glasses are on the market, it is not possible to talk about the future of the metaverse. However, at a time when the metaverse is undoubtedly “coming in a destructive way” and we are rapidly approaching a period of decline, we need to understand what the metaverse promises and its effects on different sectors and direct our work accordingly.
Those who make this analysis correctly and prepare their infrastructure today will be the companies that will stand out in the competition, so we need to analyze the examples mentioned in the report well.
The development of the Metaverse reveals “New Realities”
According to the report, “as the metaverse develops rapidly, a new reality is taking shape, in which physical and virtual life are indistinguishable.” AR and VR technology, in particular, are transforming us from a passive audience into an active citizen. Being a citizen of an immersive world is a different process than being a spectator in front of a screen, and it is possible to develop many applications in this area.
In 2023, Apple’s new glasses will be AR-enabled, and Apple CEO Tim Cook predicts that augmented reality will become an integral part of everyday life: “When we look back on the near future and look at today, try to understand how you live without augmented reality; it will be just as difficult as trying to imagine how life would have gone on without the internet in the past. AR is a profound technology that will affect everything”… Of course, these discourses should also be considered as an advertising element before Apple glasses.
Social media platforms
Although many users unwittingly benefit from AR in filters and visuals on social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat or in Pokemon Go-style games that reach large masses globally, we have not observed an AR application that creates or benefits a radical change in our lives in the real sense. One of the main reasons for this is that AR glasses have not been in our lives so far. The biggest advantage of AR glasses compared to VR or other glasses is that they will take their place in the market as accessories that we can control with our gestures, similar to the glasses designs we are used to. Apple is ultimately positioning AR glasses as a product that could replace the iPhone in the future by bringing the smartphone’s main functions into the user’s field of view.
Such a device can allow users to see incoming notifications, get directions from map services, make calls, or take photos or videos directly. In addition, many applications for different sectors will be supported.
From the more visual and experience-oriented course contents rather than memorization in education, doctors to perform interventions more precisely in their surgeries; From displaying the products to be purchased in the desired position or on the clothes on the buyers, to simple purchasing processes or to making business processes efficient, AR will of course be fully entering our daily lives with the support of technologies such as AI and IoT (internet of things).
Leading technology brands are investing heavily in AR and VR to prepare for the upcoming reign of immersive technologies. In the AR glasses race this year, we may see moves from Facebook and Amazon that will rival Apple Glass.
AR is also transforming the entertainment industry: “Augmented Entertainment” Technology Trends Featured in 2024!
“AR is also developing a new formula for entertainment. AR technology adds an interactive layer to the viewing experience by changing the way viewers have traditionally participated in passive entertainment.” Disney’s first short film with AR was released in September 2022. Viewers can scan the movie with their iOS device thanks to an expanded version made for the small screen. Disney said this app is the first AR app to connect directly to content on the Disney+ platform, testing its ability to bring movies and storytelling to home comfort in more detail.
Disney will also release an AR mobile game in 2024. Within the scope of this game, users will be able to create superheroes, fight bad guys and team up with their friends from their own devices.
You are also with you in AR home designs
Many retailers are taking advantage of AR to take e-commerce to the next level, and are even taking gamification elements in doing so. Companies such as Ikea, Sephora, Marks & Spencer have also implemented very successful applications in this field by integrating AR into e-commerce applications. The use of AR in the future of e-commerce is now a prominent topic in all trend reports…
Digital identities: People want to bring more than themselves into the virtual world. Technology Trends Featured in 2024!
“Users are thinking more deeply about their virtual identities as the metaverse begins to take shape. In the United States, Great Britain, and China, 76 percent of people familiar with the metaverse want their avatars to express their individuality in ways they can’t do in the physical or offline world. As we enter Web3, our next-generation identities will gain physicality, presence, or essence as an extension of our multiple selves; and thanks to artificial intelligence, it will be constantly developed and renewed autonomously”…
Just as we play with the characters we choose in video games, get used to expressing our self and personality on social media, avatars will represent us in the metaverse. These avatars don’t necessarily have to look like us. The avatars we are going to use can resemble cartoon characters or something else that is completely fantastic that does not exist in the real world. Metaverse is a platform that allows you to choose a different avatar according to your taste, goals or mood. Your avatar that you use in social applications or games may be different from the avatar you use in business processes. Of course, thanks to the blockchain, an ID structure will also be established that indicates that all these different avatars belong to you, which will be one of the important returns of web 3.0.
As we spend more time in virtual worlds and move all future processes into the metaverse, the importance of avatars will become more understood. I predict that in 2023, we will observe developments in which avatars can resemble us more like us, as well as reflect our unique gestures and body language.
Digital Representatives: Brand representatives are also going digital
“The metaverse improves social interactions in three-dimensional virtual worlds, and avatars also gain brand equity. AI and automation technologies can help brands connect with their customers by empathizing and personalizing them on a larger scale. This empowers their audience to choose who to talk to and personalize their experiences that have not been possible until now.”
At the VivaTech conference in Paris, luxury retail group LVMH presented its innovations with its digital representative Livi which is the one of Technology Trends. Qatar Airways has commissioned new meta-human cabin crew member Sama to guide guests on its digital flight, and Dermalogica has launched Natalia as a training vehicle.
Digital avatars have the potential to be used in customer support processes for corporate companies in the metaverse environment. Today, many large companies use these people as the face of their brands by agreeing with famous names in advertising and communication studies. Avatars of famous names with brand faces can also help customers in their support process with their familiar voices.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be celebrities we know, the emotional digital avatars in the examples above can also be a supporter of companies in such services. Even if it is an avatar, a digital assistant in the flesh has the opportunity to carry out processes more smoothly and in a way that provides satisfaction for the customer compared to assistants who are only software-based and do not understand human psychology. However, it should not be forgotten that just as we design our own avatars, we can also design avatars as our digital assistants on the basis of the services or applications we want to receive service in the metaverse in the future…
Not only in customer relations, but also in the management of the company, digital avatars began to take on the role of virtual CEOs
“Artificial intelligence is becoming a vital tool for many companies as it increases efficiency and shows that it can do many processes better, faster and cheaper than humans. Artificial intelligence studies have traditionally been developed behind the doors within companies, hidden from the public, but forward-thinking companies are beginning to highlight the potential of AI by giving virtual workers important roles in their leadership teams.”
Chinese gaming company NetDragon Websoft has appointed an AI-powered humanoid robot called Ms Tang Yu as the CEO of its subsidiary. As the company transforms itself as a metaverse organization, AI is intended to pioneer the ability to transform corporate governance. The virtual CEO will be tasked with streamlining the company’s processes, improving the quality of business outputs and increasing the speed of execution.
Tang Yu will also work as a real-time data center and analytical tool to support day-to-day decision-making and risk management operations.
Similarly, Web3-focused luxury rom brand Dictador has introduced an “AI-powered, human-like robot” called Mika as its CEO. The robot, developed by Hanson Robotics, will serve as a board member and will be responsible for conducting the brand’s DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) project, as well as communicating with the DAO community. I believe that artificial intelligence, if not with such robots, can be used as a “second eye” at board meetings or important meetings that will affect the fate of companies; I believe that it can evaluate the decisions taken by considering them in a different way, make the decisions to be provided or bring other suggestions.
Sustainability in the Metaverse. Technology Trends!
Brands are moving their sustainable practices to the digital space to support eco-friendly platforms and achieve their sustainability goals. In September 2022, Ethereum completed a software update that reduced its carbon emissions by 99 percent. Some platforms prioritize green apps right from the start. For example, Tezos is an energy-efficient blockchain that offers an eco-friendly alternative to standard blockchains with shorter NFT transaction times and a reduced carbon footprint.
Famous fashion giant Gucci accepts payments from a sustainable crypto solution built on the XRP Ledger, the world’s first major global carbon-neutral blockchain. The brand has also created an NFT collection with Superplastic, a carbon-neutral digital collection creation platform. Burberry launched its second NFT collection, which does not require any crypto mining, in June 2022 at Blankos Block Party.
Metamobility: Car brands bring mobility solutions to the metaverse
According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the metaverse market is projected to grow to $16.5 billion in 2030 for the automotive industry. Renault has partnered with The Sandbox to deliver virtual automotive experiences in the metaverse. Renault Korea Motors signed an agreement with SandBox in September 2022 to take its cars into the virtual world and offer new types of experiences.
Volvo’s launch of its latest electric vehicle in the summer of 2022 took place in the metaverse as a way to highlight Volvo’s sustainable vision. Volvo hosts Volvo India’s rechargeable XC40 launch event.
Traditional social media vs. ritualistic practices
The new generation of social media apps is making interaction a ritual. For years, social media applications, managed by powerful and intricately crafted algorithms, have been designed to keep the user in the system as much as possible by demanding constant interaction from consumers.
But the next generation of apps is challenging this traditional approach by focusing on shorter-term experiences that are more rewarding for users. At the beginning of these is BeReal, which has been quite prominent recently. The new generation of BeReal-style social media apps ask all users at random time to share an image taken from both their front camera and selfie camera at that moment.
Following the success of Be Real, TikTok and Instagram have also entered the race to launch similar features.
On leading social media platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, “content is king” and, according to Generation Z, “TikTok is like the television of this generation.” Even if they don’t post, they’re more interested in browsing other people’s content to pass more time. As today’s entertainment-oriented social media applications become more impersonal and questioned due to their algorithms, the interest in sincerity-oriented new generation social media platforms is increasing. BeReal aims to: “We want to make people feel good about themselves and their lives. We want to be an alternative to social networks that fuel social segregation and make it addictive to portray life differently in order to gather influence.”
Hypnotized way
The daily word game Wordle and Thursday, the dating app that only allows singles to pair and chat one day each week, are built on a similar dynamic. The common denominator of these apps is that they provide fun rituals that allow people to connect with others in more authentic ways, rather than overwhelming users and allowing them to spend time in a hypnotized way. However, we should not forget Clubhouse, which was very popular during the pandemic and is no longer close to anyone these days. Part of the reason these apps are popular today is that after the pandemic, remote work and online education have become at least a little permanent, making people wonder what their friends around them are doing.
However, just like ClubHouse, it is necessary to closely monitor whether such new social media platforms or applications will come and go. You can also think of such applications as a coffee shop or restaurant that has just opened in your neighborhood. While their arrival in the neighborhood may be a momentary thrill for the early adopter who enjoy the newness of the experience and the feeling of being first, after a few weeks everyone can return to the restaurants they are used to. Therefore, the future of these applications depends on them to include new features and value propositions that will make them habitual.
New form of ownership. Technology Trends
In 2023, a major paradigm shift is on the way, which has been talked about for a long time and is now becoming clearer. The decentralized infrastructure that Web 3.0 promises opens the door to new models of ownership that will revolutionize the way brands and consumers interact with digital products, services and content by democratizing digital platforms. In the past, when a user created a piece of content and posted it on Instagram, the owner of this data would be Instagram as the platform owner. In fact, the cliché and undeniable statement that “if you don’t pay for a service, you are the product…” his quote confirms this quite dramatically.
The new generation of platforms is establishing structures where control and ownership will pass to users. The founders of a new social network called Niche believe that the new generation of social networks can appeal to online communities built around more specific interests, such as hobbies or creative businesses. Niche adds another layer of value to the user’s experience, making users “owners of a platform, like a human owning a stake in a company.” “As users’ groups become more demanded or more private, or as they get more media coverage, the value of ownership shares can increase.”
More importantly, Niche points out that it won’t make money by showing ads to people in groups. Instead, Niche is designed to make money when the platform helps creators monetize or help users find valuable content. Because the center of using Niche is to create and exchange valuable things, the founders built their social platform on top of the blockchain. It is axactly the Technology Trends in 2023.
NFTs in particular regarding the ownership of digital content will change the paradigm with their new business model potentials
The concept of blockchain-based NFT is changing all stages of digital content and artwork, from its creation to its promotion, sale and use. The rights of the artist in the work and the ways in which digital works are used in physical life are also determined by smart contracts.
To design a digital work, you will first need to have this work…
Another feature of NFT is that thanks to the smart contract infrastructure, the rules for the work can be determined by the artist from the beginning. As the owner of the work, you can determine the initial price of the work as well as the copyrights of the work from the beginning. From receiving a certain percentage of entitlement each time the work is subsequently sold; In the creation of the work, this process can be expanded until the stakeholders who support you are also determined to be entitled.
Web 3.0 Brands. Technology Trends
Within Web 3.0, NFTs will also form the basis of loyalty applications. YSL Beauté launched its Web3 and NFT initiative in June 2022, which aims to create a new loyalty experience. YSL NFT holders will get access to additional content, launches, discounts, and more on the brand’s page throughout the year.
Even food brands have started to benefit from these applications. Starbucks soon announced that coffee-themed NFTs will offer a Web3-based rewards program that allows owners to gain access to additional rewards, memberships and events.
On the other hand, Technology Trends just like the metaverse, web 3.0 is still in its early stages and Wunderman Thompson’s web 3.0 is very easy to use… Blockchain or NFTs alone do not make up web 3.0. The infrastructure layer is blockchain, the value layer is cryptocurrency, the application layer is decentralized applications, ownership NFT and your crypto coins are your way of being paid… With all this coming together, we can talk about web 3.0. Therefore, taking a few NFT applications or blockchain-based applications and upgrading brands to web 3.0 will make it easy and not go beyond PR again…
Contribution to the creative ecosystem
Nike is allowing consumers to design and sell their own virtual sneakers as part of its new Web3-enabled platform, Dot Swoosh. Nike describes the platform, which launched in beta in November 2022, as part as a virtual marketplace, part as a VIP loyalty community and partly as its creative economy. The platform will be a place where you can buy Nike’s virtual merchand, sell them second-hand, attend events and design your own Nike products.
Nike. He said Swoosh will expand next year to include contests where members can get the chance to design virtual Nike products with the brand’s designers or even earn royalties from their sales.
Forever21 also invites shoppers to organize and operate their own virtual storefronts on Roblox. Announced in December 2021, Forever 21 Shop City introduces a new user-generated retail format. Users can create their own virtual Forever 21 franchises; He can manage everything from keeping stock to helping customers, from getting paid at the checkout to hiring employees and decorating shop windows. Users fully customize their store designs by choosing furniture, artwork, lighting and music to suit their style.
Virtual Perfume
Digital platforms have been more visually oriented to date. Sensory experiences for virtual environments are being reimagined, and beauty and fragrance brands are redefining fragrance for the metaverse. Those are some Technology Trends in 2024.
Byredo and RTFKT took a different approach to their virtual fragrance. Announced in June 2022, Alphameta interprets the smell as a wearable aura. Each of the 26 auras represents a different emotion, such as “certainty” or “purity.” Users are encouraged to create their own personalized aura by combining multiple emotions. Thus, in the metaverse, the perception of smell will be used to differentiate avatars as NFTs.
In the axis of all these trends, it is useful to focus on shaping our 2024 strategies and laying the foundations of the studies that will shape the coming period now…
