The Metaverse: Applications, Concerns, Technical Challenges, Future Directions and Recommendations

The Metaverse is all about expanding connectivity amongst users and objects and seamlessly delivering information and services to the right user at the right time. Its potential advantages are virtually limitless, and its applications are progressively changing the way we live, and are opening new opportunities for innovation and growth. It is crystal clear that the Metaverse can enable fully immersive experience, elements of fantasy, and new degrees of freedom. However, it is still considered controversial since it will also open up opportunities for misconduct and crime. Furthermore, the industry lacks the capacity to carry out a comprehensive study of the potential risks that will come along. This paper highlights the current and envisioned Metaverse applications along with the main concerns and challenges faced by the Metaverse stakeholders. Furthermore, it examines the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of the Metaverse technology. Finally, the paper presents the future directions and highlights the most important recommendations for developing the Metaverse systems.