Welcome back to Ask Giz, where we answer questions from all over the Gizmodo world.

If you have a question you’d like us to answer, submit it to our submissions page. We love questions about technology, science, space, cars, hardware or software.

Today’s question is more of a curiosity generated over the past year, as the word has become more common: what is the metaverse?

I haven’t been kind to the metaverse and adjacent topics in the past, but we never spent the time to identify what the term is Really medium. Or, at least, media for interested parties.

So, let’s dive in.

What is the metaverse?

The metaverse is an online space where people can socialize, shop, play games, and just hang out. Dictionary.com defines it as:

“A theoretical or emerging networked online space with…