The never-ending hype around the coming of the metaverse is enough to convince the average man in the street that they’ll soon be living in virtual reality on a permanent basis. 

If Mark Zuckerberg has his way, there will be a billion people living at least some of the time in the metaverse at the end of the decade. His confidence is echoed by Citibank, whose research shows that the metaverse economy will be worth between $8 trillion to $13 trillion by the time that happens. Those are eye-popping numbers, which is why the metaverse has garnered over $177 billion in investment since January 2021, McKinsey estimates show. 

(by Livine Sanchez)