As we step into the deeper, more immersive environments of the metaverse, brands and individual participants  will be gaining a new perspective when experiencing this new digital world—and what better way to explore this realm than with the virtual versions of ourselves?

In this fifth chapter of our metaverse series, we will go over:

  • A brief review of what augmented reality and virtual reality are
  • What metaverse personas or virtual personas are
  • The implications of creating a digital persona
  • The role metaverse personas will play in the metaverse
  • How AI can power and enable more immersive experiences for participants 

Recap: The difference between virtual and augmented reality

In a previous chapter, we dedicated the larger part of the article to discussing what augmented, virtual, and mixed realities are and their roles in the metaverse.  To summarize:

  • Augmented reality: superimposed reality on a screen designed for free movement.
  • Virtual reality: requires equipment like a headset to create a 360-degree view of interactive reality.
  • Mixed reality: this bridges the gap between augmented and virtual reality in a space where real and virtual objects can coexist.

While many are already entering the metaverse with their digital personas, these three aspects will become increasingly important as adoption increases.

What is a metaverse persona?

Metaverse personas, also known as metaverse avatars, virtual personas, or digital personas, are essential for metaverse users who plan on creating experiences and those who plan on attending and enjoying those experiences. For instance, creating personas could range from forming a fun, fantasy-based avatar for gaming to building a lifelike version of a celebrity or well-known content creator. Users will also have an opportunity to create a digital version of themselves to engage in metaverse experiences. 

Often defined as the virtual likeness of an individual, digital personas open the doors to new opportunities and immersion. However, this opportunity for greater inclusivity will require a balancing act for better identity protection. A part of offering immersive experiences in the metaverse will be the “imposter factor” hurdle, the imposter being someone pretending to be someone else. 

The idea of an imposter typically denotes malicious intent, but for this article, the imposter factor focuses on convincing rather than deceiving: how believable is the character or persona that you’re projecting? A great example of this is role-playing, a pivotal cornerstone to many influencer and streamer content platforms. 

What are the implications of creating a virtual persona?

Many content creators like gamers and influencers create personas to better interact with their audience. Now with the help of digital avatars and realistic synthetic voices, the metaverse offers richer opportunities for immersion, meaning that the capacity for role-playing will reach a whole new level. 

From the audience’s perspective, synthetic avatars and voices can bring them closer to the character, but from the creator’s perspective, they build a barrier between their personal lives and their profession, protecting themselves and their families from any negative aspects of being a popular or well-recognized character.

Digital personas also create more opportunities for inclusivity in the metaverse, and users will undoubtedly want to protect their identities—especially in internet spaces (like the gaming world) that are rife with “trolls” and “keyboard warriors.” Synthetic media offers an additional level of anonymity, providing users a chance to create greater distance between themselves and their online personas while still maintaining ownership of both forms of identities. 

These are a handful of reasons why a virtual persona appeals to users and content creators; now, let’s look at how these personas will perform in the metaverse.

How will virtual personas work in the metaverse?

As a shared virtual space where people can create and interact with digital objects, the metaverse will require users to have digital personas for different environments. This allows people to explore different identities and express their unique styles depending on the context of these interactions. For instance, someone’s gaming avatar probably looks much different from the professional avatar they use for business-related purposes like conducting webinars or meeting with clients at virtual pop-ups.

This could present the opportunity for interesting revenue opportunities. New marketplaces, potentially ones for buying, selling, and licensing virtual personas, will be fueled by character creation. Content creators could work with brands who want a digital persona for a mascot, experiences, or marketing endeavors in a space like this.

A good portion of this marketplace could include unique characters, but synthetic media creators also have a tremendous opportunity to sell avatars and voices. In addition, people can build their digital personas (similar to video game microtransactions for in-game skins, items, costumes, taglines, etc.), signifying a low entry barrier for individuals without corporate budgets. 

Beyond digital likeness and characters, synthetic avatars and voices can be incorporated into minting NFTs based on different characters or themes from other pieces of content. Indeed, the revenue opportunities don’t end there. We’ll almost certainly see even more ways that content creators can fuel the metaverse economy in the future—but content creators will need the right tools to get there.

How can Veritone help build the future of metaverse personas

As stated before, using the right tools can go a long way, especially while there are plenty of ways to pioneer personas in the metaverse. In order to meet the needs of content creators, brands, and users as they step into the metaverse, we’ve developed Veriverse, a comprehensive portfolio  of metaverse-ready applications such as:

  • Veritone Voice: Create ethical synthetic stock or custom voice in multiple languages and dialects to scale production, maximize revenue, and expand audience reach.
  • Veritone Avatar: Build hyper-realistic avatars to represent yourself, brand ambassadors, brand celebrities, and more, or opt for stock avatars.
  • Veritone NFT: Mint, sell, and trade NFTs from your brand’s digital assets with other verified Veritone clients and partners.
  • Veritone Verify: Secure your digital assets, likeness, and IP in the metaverse with centralized asset management and transparent ownership and rights.
  • Metaverse Migration Services: Professional services designed to help you assess, plan, and execute your entry into the metaverse. 

To learn more about the Veriverse tools and what they can do for you, your brand, or your enterprise as you stake your claim in the metaverse, request a demo or more information today. In our next blog, the final installment in this series, we’ll discuss the roadmap of the metaverse and what future holds for this new channel.