The Internet of Places
001

February 12, 2022
Sullivan Huebner | [email protected]

I don’t like the term “Metaverse” either.

However, this leaves me with a dilemma. We need a term to refer to the new era of the Internet that seems to be barreling towards us, and unfortunately, “Metaverse” leaves a bad taste in a lot of mouths, and Web 3.0 is cliché (and technically already taken). So, what to call this new Internet?

Well, first, let’s establish what this new era of the Internet actually is. There are a lot of moving pieces, but I’m going to focus on the one that’s the most important to my own organization — XR/VR/AR. The new Internet is going to be, and already is, heavily based in meta-spaces, environments built in augmented or virtual reality to engage directly with consumers.

In the same way that the early Internet made a breakthrough when we started linking websites together, so too will we see a breakthrough now. Except, instead of websites, we’ll be linking together these virtual environments.

Rather than calling them meta-spaces or virtual environments all the time, since that’s wordy and I’m a lazy writer, let’s just call them “places.” You’re probably already seeing where I’m going with this — the new Internet, or at least, the updated Internet, will be made up of these places.

Therefore, “The Internet of Places”. Catchy, makes for a nice column title, easy to remember, and gets the point across.

As the introductory edition of the column, I feel obligated to give you a quick idea of what we’ll be discussing in the future. We’re going to talk about places — virtual venues, events, and developments in the interconnection of those places. We’re going to talk about the people, big and small, making those places and events happen. And, of course, we’re going to talk about how you and your community, organization, or business fit into that bigger picture.

I’m looking forward to having you along on this expedition into The Internet of Places.

Sullivan Huebner