Exploring the potential of the metaverse in Colombia: trends and challenges in adoption and how Blockchain is the key to a secure and decentralized metaverse.

Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that allows for secure and transparent storage and transfer of information. In the context of the development of the metaverse, blockchain can be used to ensure the ownership and authenticity of virtual assets, as well as facilitate economic transactions in the virtual world. It can also be used to ensure privacy and security in the metaverse, by allowing for the creation of secure digital identities and controlling access to content and services. In summary, blockchain is a key technology for the creation of a secure, decentralized, and economically sustainable metaverse.

The adoption of the metaverse in Colombia is gaining ground quickly. With the increase in the availability of virtual and augmented reality technologies, and the growing popularity of gaming and virtual worlds platforms, Colombians are starting to experiment with this new online world.

The metaverse offers a great deal of opportunities for Colombians, from business development and job creation to education and entertainment. Local businesses can use the metaverse to reach a global audience and expand their operations, while developers and creators can use these platforms to create and sell content and virtual assets.

The Plaza de las Americas shopping center, through an intensive one-month project, managed to open its doors in the Metaverse, with the aim of staying ahead of digital trends, innovating and giving the community the opportunity to play, socialize, and belong to a new digital community.

Additionally, according to the company, this initiative seeks to analyze data on the demographics of visitors, their interests within the virtual space, the time they spend in the metaverse, the number of unique and recurring visits. 

With this, they aim to adapt their marketing strategies from the virtual realm in order to have users interact with physical actions within the shopping center, providing unique experiences and later integrating the digital channels of the shopping center's brands as a new showcase for them, which represents the ultimate goal of the metaverse.

Education is also starting to explore the potential of the metaverse, with distance education programs and online training programs using these technologies to improve the learning experience. Students can experiment with these tools to improve their understanding of subjects and develop skills in areas such as programming, graphic design and animation.

Virtual education in Colombia is continuing to increase, according to a study by Red Ilumno, in 2018 only 10% of students in Colombia were studying in the virtual mode, which represented approximately 200,000 students. However, during the pandemic this increased to 70% and it is expected that this trend will continue in the coming years. This is why new technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and now the metaverse are quickly being integrated.

According to the father of virtual education in Latin America, Guillermo Cardona Ossa, the metaverse will be the protagonist in the next decades in new virtual education platforms for primary, secondary, and higher education.

"The trend is clear, technology is leading the changes in virtual and traditional education models. More than 20 years ago I spoke about the need to transform education programs in Colombia and the region using the internet and the technologies of that time as a strategic ally. Today, there is no doubt that we must integrate the metaverse into institutional development plans," said Cardona Ossa.

According to the professor, new generations require guidance in the use of new technologies and this is where institutions must focus their attention. He also emphasizes that digital literacy for secondary and higher education students should be prioritized to keep them from being left behind in these new trends.

However, there are also concerns about the challenges posed by the adoption of the metaverse in Colombia. Privacy and security are two important concerns, as users must ensure they protect their personal data and avoid online harassment or identity theft.

Despite these challenges, the adoption of the metaverse in Colombia continues to grow. Over time, it is likely that we will see more Colombians experimenting with these technologies and discovering the opportunities they offer.