SCHRÖDINGER'S METAVERSE: A DEBATE ON CONCEPTUAL CONFLICTS ABOUT WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO ACCESS THE METAVERSE

This is a qualitative study of a critical-reflexive nature about the theme of the Metaverse - a term popularized in our daily lives through science fiction and today greatly influencing communication, marketing, informatics, and various other personal and professional areas of our lives. Thus, our overall objective is to investigate different concepts of what the Metaverse is, focusing on [1] debating the Metaverse from the perspective of different theoretical approaches and perceptions, [2] exploring the different levels of immersion authors consider as "being in the Metaverse," and [3] mapping the different technological levels observed as necessary - or not - to connect to this environment. As a result, we observe two lines of thought: one claiming we are already in the Metaverse, supported by the arguments of the author Martha Gabriel; and the other suggesting we are not yet in the Metaverse due to a lack of technology, supported by the arguments of Dora Kaufman. In conclusion, we highlight that in an overview of the Metaverse, we can perceive various conflicting or contradictory conceptualizations - emphasizing the need for a conceptual formalization for scientific or other uses. The analogy to Schr & ouml;dinger's Cat paradox serves to illustrate how states of perception can become conflicting when lacking study and observation, just like the current state of the Metaverse.