How the metaverse could impact employee mental health


We’re spending more time online than ever before in both our professional and personal lives. This could be set to increase even further with the introduction of the metaverse.
A much-hyped concept, the metaverse is, in simple terms, a virtual world for gaming, socializing, and even interacting with businesses. Meta calls it "the next evolution of social connection", with tech businesses scrambling to create virtual spaces for users. But what impact will these new digital spaces have on people in their working lives?
The technology turning point: Five key tech trends that will define the next decade


The central theme of this year’s World Economic Forum is how history is at a 'turning point', based on the era-defining impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This moment is not just a turning point in history, but also for technology: businesses and society are in the midst of a digital revolution.
To underline just how much change is afoot, Gartner says worldwide IT spending will increase 5 percent this year, hitting $4.5 trillion. With so much going on, it can be hard to focus on what the key technology developments are, meaning there is a risk of spreading yourself too thinly. To help cut through the noise and prioritize the biggest technology trends, here are five key technology trends that look set to define the next decade, and beyond.
Want a well-paid a career? Have you considered cybercrime?


OK, so there may not be a pension scheme and a company car, but rookie fraudsters are taking home approximately $18,700 (£15,000) a month with 'cybercriminal CEOs' making up to three times as much as their counterparts in legitimate businesses. According to a new report from Arkose Labs.
The return on investment for launching cyber attacks or committing online fraud is larger than ever before. Some of the highest earning fraudsters are known to be making around $7.5 million (£6 million) a year according to even the most conservative estimates. This is almost three times the amount that FTSE 100 chief executives were paid in 2020, when they earned an average $3.4m (£2.7m).
Chipotle's metaverse ambitions


I recently read a thorough review and watched a playthrough of Chipotle’s new Roblox metaverse game. I use the word "game" here extremely loosely, even though I have the widest palate for games you can imagine. I've played everything from Gameboy to NES, mobile free-to-play to PC, and my newest obsession: the PS5. Though Chipotle’s new Burrito Builder has all the trappings of a mobile game, it has the potential to be much more.
For those who missed it, the new Chipotle game allows players to take on the thrilling challenge of making burritos for digital customers. That’s right -- you get to be an employee at Chipotle in the metaverse, and they’re calling it a game. If making burritos isn’t that fun for you, you can take on the side quest to deliver them as well.
5G and the metaverse


The metaverse is a concept that has been around for decades and to many sounds like science fiction: a parallel, virtual universe in which we live our lives as if in a video game. However, recent advances in technology mean that this fiction is becoming a reality. Countless technological components that will make up the metaverse already exist today, and society is increasingly preconditioned to virtual and augmented experiences.
The creation of a parallel digital world opens the doors for organizations to create new experiences for businesses and consumers, and we can expect companies to provide virtual content and services from education to entertainment, medicine to fashion. The possibilities go on as network technologies continuously grow stronger, telecommunication providers offer more tailored offerings, and connectivity becomes interwoven in enterprise operations at all levels.
Traditional telehealth is no longer the future of health care


Telehealth has taken the medical world by storm. Hospitals rapidly adopted these remote technologies out of necessity amid COVID-19, but it quickly became apparent that their potential goes even further.
Telehealth accounted for less than 1 percent of total health care volume before COVID, but it quickly became the norm. However, it won’t be the future of medicine. More than 70 percent of physicians are motivated to increase their telehealth use, and new technologies are emerging, so this practice is evolving. Here’s a look at how metaverse technologies are transforming the future of telemedicine.
Data privacy is the top metaverse challenge say developers


Ever since Facebook rebranded itself as Meta at the tail end of last year the metaverse has been creating a buzz in the tech world -- though not so much outside it.
Real-time engagement API specialist Agora has carried out a study that looking at how developers feel about the current state and evolution of the metaverse, which finds that data privacy is the biggest concern.
Why real-time experiences will make or break the metaverse


The metaverse is the latest battlefield for tech giants vying for business and consumer attention. Although the phrase has only fairly recently entered the public vernacular, when Facebook rebranded its parent company as Meta, it was actually coined in 1992 by author Neal Stephenson in 'Snowcrash'. In many ways its rise in popularity marks the 'coming of age' of virtual and augmented reality to date.
To make these new virtual worlds a success will require a truly real-time digital experience. Without this, our virtual experiences are unlikely to be lifelike and nor will they be "better" than real life. But in order to make this real-time digital experience in the metaverse a reality, organizations will need a raft of technical capabilities. This is a significant challenge for tech behemoths today, let alone in the metaverse future. So, what is needed to ensure the metaverse is a long-term success rather than a passing fad?
AI is key, metaverse is not important -- CIO's top priorities for 2022


New data from PwC in its latest Pulse Survey finds that 43 percent of CIOs cite refining their IT strategy and operating models to be more agile as being a top priority in 2022.
In order to achieve this about a third will prioritize leveraging infrastructure investments to move from traditional data centers to cloud-based, or leveraging enterprise-wide data and analytics to drive strategic decision-making
Is Facebook about to change its name... and does it matter?


Over the years, Mark Zuckerberg has shared various visions for the future including getting the entire world online. His latest idea is that of the metaverse, a far more immersive, connected experience that blends the realms of virtual reality and the internet.
While details of quite what Facebook's plans for the metaverse might be currently remain vague and ethereal, it seems that Zuckerberg could be on the verge of announcing a rebranding and a new name for Facebook.
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