The Metaverse Is the Next Internet

The Metaverse Is Not a Technology—It Is a Philosophy, and the Next Internet

In 2021, 'Facebook' re-branded itself as 'Meta'.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many aspects of life transformed. Virtual meetings, remote work, digital shopping, virtual real estate—new technologies and platforms flooded in, and everyone declared the Metaverse to be the future.

But now, no one talks about the metaverse. No one claims to be building it anymore. Why? Was the metaverse merely a fleeting marketing term?

I believe the metaverse is not just a new buzzword or technological trend. It is a philosophical attempt to reimagine the essence of the internet. The Metaverse is not about technology—it is about redesigning the structure and order of the internet itself.

The Metaverse Is a Paradigm Shift in Internet Architecture

Most Metaverse discussions are still technology-centric. High-resolution graphics, faster networks, immersive avatars, and massive concurrency are often highlighted. But these are merely physical extensions of the existing web. The essence hasn’t changed: we still enter URLs, log in, and rely on centralized servers.

No matter how visually impressive a virtual world may be, it remains a Web 2.0 extension if the underlying structure and philosophy stay the same.

If the metaverse is to represent a true transformation, it must go beyond technical advancement. It must signal a paradigm shift—from a hyperlink-based, flat internet to a coordinate-based, spatial web.

From Hyperlinks to Location: A New Mode of Web Exploration

Until now, we’ve explored the web by entering URLs or following search-result links. The internet has operated like a hyper-textual book—clicking through pages.

The Metaverse introduces a different model. Users no longer simply “view” content; they exist within it. Navigation shifts from clicking to spatial traversal based on position and presence. Where you are shapes what you see and how you interact.

This is not just a change in user experience. It is a transformation in how we experience, embody, and interpret our identity in the digital world.

A Platform Is Not the Metaverse

Many companies labeled their platforms as the Metaverse. But most were nothing more than corporate-owned virtual playgrounds built within closed systems.

We called these platforms the Metaverse, but in truth, they were Web 2.5 at best.

A true Metaverse must be structurally connected to reality. It must support ownership and identity through NFTs, enable secure transactions through Block-chain, and be governed by community-based decision-making. In other words, it must be built on the philosophy and architecture of Web 3.0.

The Metaverse Has Philosophical Roots: Digital Earth

In 1998, then–Vice President Al Gore introduced the concept of the 'Digital Earth' in a speech at UCLA.

“A young child will be able to go to a Digital Earth exhibit at a local museum and, using a device much like a video game pad, interactively explore a 3D visualization of the entire planet—from space down to the street level in any community.”

Al Gore’s vision extended far beyond education. He imagined a planetary cognitive system that fused information with geography, reality with the digital—an open world where people could explore, understand, and participate in the global context, from their own neighborhood to the other side of the Earth.

This was not just a technical idea—it was a philosophical proposal that demanded a shift in how we perceive and organize information.

While his vision led to tools like NASA’s Blue Marble, OpenStreetMap, and CesiumJS, few Metaverse platforms today have inherited that philosophy.

The Metaverse Must Be Built on the Earth

A true Metaverse is not about naming virtual plots. It is about anchoring digital identity to real geo-spatial locations.

Imagine someone owns a digital tile corresponding to Manhattan in New York. They attach their content to it. The tile is recorded on the blockchain. Their personal or communal identity persists over time in that space. This is not just a website. It is a new form of internet built on the digital Earth.

The Metaverse must be a spatial order where digital presence, identity, and meaning are grounded in real coordinates.

The Metaverse Will Fail Without Philosophical Re-construction

We’ve seen countless attempts at building Metaverse through technology. Most failed—because they lacked space, substance, or were trapped in centralized control.

Technology may evolve, but only philosophy can re-construct structure.

The true Metaverse is not a pile of new tools. It is a complete re-architecture of the internet—not a cosmetic renovation, but a fundamental re-design of how we exist and connect online.

Without that philosophy, the Metaverse will fade as a passing trend.

And 'Meta' will be remembered only by the shadow it left behind.