The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has made social distancing and contactless activities continue even in 2021 to prevent the spread of the infectious disease. Under such circumstances, what has attracted us this year is none other than the “metaverse.” The “metaverse” is a portmanteau word of “meta” meaning “artificial” or “abstract,” and “universe” meaning “reality,” and it represents a transcendent world in which reality and virtual reality are combined, allowing people to engage in social, economic, and cultural activities, based on 5G and immersive technology such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

The metaverse is a digital world located somewhere between reality and fiction. It is based on reality, but not a genuine reality, and it might be fiction, but not a perfect fiction. In a world of the metaverse built on reality and imagination, humans can break the barriers between time and space, and between languages, and continue to do real-world activities in a digital space or to enjoy virtual experiences in a real space. Thanks to the advanced digital environments with the enhanced computing power, faster network speed, and the expansion of web and mobile, the metaverse is now developing in broader directions.

Interactions with virtual humans are also noteworthy. Now, more human-like virtual influencers, based on elaborate technologies, are active in many areas, including Lil Miquela from the United States, Imma from Japan, and Rozy and Reah from Korea.

This section introduces the metaverse as one of future technologies to watch in 2022, which can create new daily life beyond the limits of reality and virtual reality.