Intro to the Metaverse: How Consumers Connect to the Virtual World

It’s the word — and the world — on all our minds: the Metaverse. What is it, what does it look like, and how do we get there? To help both brands and consumers better understand their relationship to the Metaverse, Vox Media collaborated with UTA, a leading global talent, entertainment, sports, and brand representation company, on a survey of 5,000 Americans aged 13-50. Our biggest takeaway? Despite claiming to know little about this rapidly evolving virtual world, most consumers are already part of it.

Up until recently, conversations about the Metaverse have been focused mainly on its technological building blocks, like NFTs and Web3 — topics that many Americans still find confusing. Our research found that almost half (48%) of consumers claim they don’t know anything about the Metaverse, while just 25% say they are very or fairly familiar.

In reality, most consumers have at least some awareness of the Metaverse — even if they don’t realize it. From gaming to immersive virtual worlds, 2/3 of Americans between the ages of 13 and 56 have spent time on at least one Metaverse platform, with that number rising to 9 out of 10 Gen Z.

The fact is that Americans of all ages are already building and experiencing new worlds at a staggering rate. Through the Metaverse, we’re cultivating new friendships, discovering new passions, and forming connections that go far beyond just the virtual space. To learn more about how the Metaverse is impacting our daily lives, see our presentation “Dissecting the Metaverse.”

Download the report here: UTA x Vox_Media Metaverse