How NFTs in the metaverse can improve the value of physical assets in the real world

The metaverse has become inseparable from Web3 culture. Companies are racing to put out their own metaverses, from small startups to Mark Cuban and, of course, Meta. Before companies race to put out a metaverse, it’s important to understand what the metaverse actually is.

Or what it should be.

The prefix “meta” generally means both ”self-referential” or “about.” In other words, a meta-level is something about a lower level. From dictionary.com: 

“-a prefix added to the name of a subject and designating another subject that analyzes the original one but at a more abstract, higher level:

metaphilosophy; metalinguistics.

a prefix added to the name of something that consciously references or comments upon its own subject or features:

a meta-painting of an artist painting a canvas.

The key aspect of both definitions is self-reference. Logically, the term “metaverse” then should be “a universe that analyzes the original one, but at an abstracted level.” In other words, the metaverse will be an abstraction layer that describes our current physical world. 

The metaverse should be an extended reality, not a whole new one. 

And that’s why the trend has been heading toward a metaverse that’s built on crypto. Crypto, just like the world, has a kind of physical nature to it. You can’t copy a Bitcoin or an NFT. Just like the coffee cup on your desk can’t occupy the same physical space as the cup next to it. The space itself is singular and immutable and can’t be copied. Even if you make a 3D-printed replica, it’s not the same cup. So crypto is very well suited to building an immutable layer that describes the real world. In crypto, we can build models of the real world that carry over many of its properties.

The natural opportunity will be in digital twins. Digital twins create a universe of information about buildings or other physical assets and are tied to the physical world. In other words, they are that meta-layer. By integrating blockchain technology, in the form of NFTs, all data and information surrounding the physical twin can be verified and saved, forever, all tracked with the asset itself. When you think about it, digital twins are the metaverse versions of the physical twins, and the technology enhances features of the real world. 

Validation is the key to metaverse truth

When evaluating crypto/blockchain’s relationship to the metaverse, it’s important to remember that crypto is about verification and validation. So when considering blockchain’s relationship to the metaverse, it makes sense to think about it as a digital space that can be validated. 

So in the metaverse, it’s time to expand on what an NFT is and what it can hold. NFTs cannot be copied because they are tied to the validation and verification process in time, which is what makes them nonfungible. As the capabilities of NFTs grow, they are becoming a new information dimension that is tied to the real world.

NFT domains are going to be core to this idea. They become a nonfungible data space, uniquely tied to us and our activity on Web3. In the metaverse, these domain NFTs can represent a house; recording and validating every visitor, repair, event, etc. And that record and that infrastructure can be sold not just with the house but as a core component of the house, increasing the value.

By clearly defining what a true metaverse is, both for developers and investors, we can start to move toward a meaningful version of it. 

Leonard Kish is cofounder of Cortex App, based on YouBase’s distributed date protocol.