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Around one-quarter of people in the US ages 13 to 34 are fans of the metaverse. But for every person who gives it a thumbs-up, there are about two in that age group who dislike or have never heard of the concept.

Beyond the chart: Many people still find the concept of the metaverse pretty confusing—for good reason. In H1 2022, the term appeared more than 1,100 times in regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, compared with 260 times during 2021. But within those filings, few companies explained what it is, or what they would do in it.

For brands, “entering the metaverse” can be buzzy rhetoric for attaching their name to a collection of walled virtual reality ecosystems. And if most people don’t actually like or know about the metaverse, this high-tech hype runs the risk of hurting more than helping.

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