[imagesource:twitter/@AfricarareNft]

Step aside Mark Zuckerberg, Africa has joined the Whatsapp group of metaverse-focussed digital interaction.

Enter Ubuntuland: a platform that aspires to redefine the digital landscape by amalgamating connectivity, social engagement, trade, and entertainment within 3D virtual reality

Conceptualised by Africarare and headed by CEO Mic Mann, Ubuntuland is setting its sights on an ambitious milestone with its goal to attract a billion users.

Mic Mann explains that metaverse spaces like Ubuntuland are engineered to transcend the confines of the traditional internet, breaking the boundaries of the two-dimensional online space.

“People can connect to this global digital economy through this next iteration of the internet. Through taking the flat internet and turning it into three dimensions.”

From immersive entertainment experiences to virtual art galleries, the platform offers a wide spectrum of interactions. Ubuntuland also facilitates virtual meetings, accommodating up to 15 participants within designated virtual spaces.

This innovative endeavour has already created a huge buzz when it comes to investors. Leading entities such as Nedbank, MTN, and Primedia have already secured stakes within Ubuntuland, including parcels of virtual ‘land’.

Each segment of property within Ubuntuland boasts a value of 0.1499 Ethereum on the Opensea non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, the equivalent of approximately R4500 per plot. No wonder there’s so much investment interest, with 34 companies already holding stakes in the platform; that’s a decent opening cost to get involved.

Khensani Nobanda, Nedbank’s group executive for marketing and corporate affairs, explained the importance of keeping up with innovative new trends in customer preference:

“Our entry into the metaverse is not merely about having a presence in this space, it’s about meeting the needs of our clients on platforms that resonate with them, while offering an array of touchpoints that continue to demonstrate our commitment to lead in digital.”

However, despite its promising trajectory, metaverse technology faces a formidable obstacle: it’s so new that many internet users don’t even know where to start. Not to mention it’s always changing.

Mann has readily acknowledged this challenge, stating, “The education and the knowledge gap is quite massive.”

That being said, the design of Ubuntuland itself looks incredibly alluring, and may help draw users to the virtual space:

Africarare has also recently introduced a marketplace on Ubuntuland, by way of linking tangible goods to NFTs, in order to create new trade avenues online.

With all this new-fangled innovation, it’s not surprising that there are also plans to make artificial intelligence (AI) tools a part of the whole experience. Mann has teased upcoming features such as an all-knowing AI entity capable of answering queries and virtual shop assistants with distinct personalities.

It’s hard to tell whether Ubuntuland will have the longevity to adapt and grow as ideas of what a metaverse should and could look like constantly shift, but the new virtual experience marks an important moment for the Africa as we solidify the continent as part of the AI technology evolution.

[source:news24]