Metaverse
The metaverse is a proposed, singular, virtual reality to be used as an escape from an oppressive or otherwise intolerable society. Humans in the metaverse would chat and otherwise interact virtually, via computers through avatars, navigating through a virtual space as if they were living in it day to day. The metaverse is not a game, but a replacement for everyday life. The term was coined by author Neal Stephenson.
There currently exists multiple approximations of the metaverse or "metaverse experiences", including Second Life, Red Light Center , and Tilemap Town. Defunct approximations include various Multi-User Dungeons, Active Worlds, Cybernet Worlds, Starbright World, Anyland, and Manyland.[1] All of these used tcp/ip connections on the internet to establish a shared virtual reality across the globe. Stephenson envisions that in the future, many of even most of these worlds will bridge to each other to create a single alternative reality.