• Menu
  • Menu
  • Tech
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Prayer Times
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print subscription
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print subscription
Trending
UAE holidays 2022 Golf in UAE Gratuity Calculator Qatar World Cup 2022
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Science
    • Weather
    • Ask the Law
    • Reader Complaint
    • UAE's Hope Probe
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Ask Us
    • Safety+Security
  • UAE Success Stories
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Energy
    • Analysis
    • Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Corporate News
  • Best Buys
    • Electronics
    • Home and Kitchen
    • Offers
    • Consumables
    • Lifestyle
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
    • Cryptocurrency
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
    • Videos
  • Friday
    • Beauty
    • Wellbeing
    • Art & People
    • Home
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
    • Spell It
    • Play
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • Discounts
  • Qatar World Cup 2022
    • Teams
    • Travel
    • News & Views
  • Play Games
  • Magical Dubai
    • Dubai Life
    • Live the Luxury
    • Culture and History
    • Adventure
    • Staying Connected
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
      • Games
    • Mena
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Oceania
    • Offbeat
    • Coronavirus
    • Infographics
    • Special Reports
    • Corrections
  • Special Reports
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
    • From the Editors
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Horse Racing
      • Dubai World Cup
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
        • Gujarat
        • Lucknow
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
      • ICC
    • Motorsport
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • Rugby
    • Golf in UAE
      • UAE
      • World
      • Photos & Videos
      • Course Reviews
      • Learn to Play
      • Gear
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • Pakistani Cinema
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theatre
    • Arts+Culture
  • Expo 2020
    • News
    • Photos
    • Pavilions
    • Visit the Expo
    • Experience the UAE
    • Entertainment
    • Videos
  • Going Out
  • Auto
    • News
    • Test Drives
    • Car Culture
    • Auto Care
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
    • Community
    • Fashion
  • GN Reach
  • Jobs
  • Tech
    • Electronics
    • Gaming
    • Media
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • Community
    • Technology
  • Travel
  • GN Focus
    • Special Features
  • Mind Your Migraine
  • 50 MENA Leaders
  • The Kurator
    • Share
    • Dare
    • Flair
  • Bayat Chapters
  • Gold-Forex
  • Gratuity Calculator
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • Newsletters
  • Printing Services
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Gulf News store
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2022. All rights reserved.
    From metaverse to WEB3, a guide to 2021's tech buzzwords

    Tech

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Friday, August 19, 2022
    Gold / Forex

    Tech

    • Electronics
    • Gaming
    • Media
    All Sections

    From metaverse to WEB3, a guide to 2021's tech buzzwords

    If you're still drawing a blank as 2021 wraps up, here's a short glossary


    Published:  December 22, 2021 22:59 Reuters

    1 of 13
    Virtual Reality Metaverse Digital Universe
    This year, tech CEOs drew inspiration from a 1990s sci-fi novel, Reddit investors' lexicon seeped into the mainstream as "diamond hands" and "apes" shook Wall Street, and something called a DAO tried to buy a rare copy of the US Constitution. If you're still drawing a blank as 2021 wraps up, here's a short glossary: Image Credit: Shutterstock
    2 of 13
    facebook3-1635514886744
    METAVERSE: The metaverse broadly refers to shared, immersive digital environments which people can move between and may access via virtual reality or augmented reality headsets or computer screens. Some tech CEOs are betting it will be the successor to the mobile internet. The term was coined in the dystopian novel "Snow Crash" three decades ago. This year CEOs of tech companies from Microsoft to Match Group have discussed their roles in building the metaverse. In October, Facebook renamed itself Meta to reflect its new metaverse focus. Image Credit: AFP
    3 of 13
    Stock Blockchain
    WEB3: Web3 is used to describe a potential next phase of the internet: a decentralised internet run on the record-keeping technology blockchain. This model, where users would have ownership stakes in platforms and applications, would differ from today's internet, known as Web2, where a few major tech giants like Facebook and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google control the platforms. Image Credit: Shutterstock
    4 of 13
    Clubhouse
    SOCIAL AUDIO: Tech companies waxed lyrical this year about tools for live audio conversations, rushing to release features after the buzzy, once invite-only app Clubhouse saw an initial surge amid COVID-19 lockdowns. read more Image Credit: Shutterstock
    5 of 13
    NFTs_212010
    NFT: Non-fungible tokens, which exploded in popularity this year, are a type of digital asset that exists on a blockchain, a record of transactions kept on networked computers. read more In March, a work by American artist Beeple sold for nearly $70 million at Christie's, the first ever sale by a major auction house of art that does not exist in physical form. Image Credit: Reuters
    6 of 13
    190311 digital
    DECENTRALISATION: Decentralising, or the transfer of power and operations from central authorities like companies or governments to the hands of users, emerged as a key theme in the tech industry. Such shifts could affect everything from how industries and markets are organised to functions like content moderation of platforms. Twitter, for example, is investing in a project to build a decentralized common standard for social networks, dubbed Bluesky. Image Credit: Supplied
    7 of 13
    CRYPTOCURRENCY
    DAO: A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) is generally an internet community owned by its members and run on blockchain technology. DAOs use smart contracts, pieces of code that establish the group's rules and automatically execute decisions. In recent months, crowd-funded crypto-group ConstitutionDAO tried and failed to buy a rare copy of the US Constitution in an auction held by Sotheby's. Image Credit: Shutterstock
    8 of 13
    Stock Wall street NYSE
    STONKS: This deliberate misspelling of "stocks," which originated with an internet meme, made headlines as online traders congregating in forums like Reddit's WallStreetBets drove up stocks including GameStop and AMC. The lingo of these traders, calling themselves "apes" or praising the "diamond hands" who held positions during big market swings, became mainstream. Image Credit: AP
    9 of 13
    191205 gamers
    GAMEFI: GameFi is a broad term referring to the trend of gamers earning cryptocurrency through playing video games, where players can make money through mechanisms like getting financial tokens for winning battles in the popular game Axie Infinity. Image Credit: AFP
    10 of 13
    190717 Elon Musk
    ALTCOIN: The term covers all cryptocurrencies aside from Bitcoin, ranging from ethereum, which aims to be the backbone of a future financial system, to Dogecoin, a digital currency originally created as a joke and popularized by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Image Credit: AFP
    11 of 13
    Tesla
    FSD BETA: Tesla released a test version of its upgraded Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, a system of driving-assistance features - like automatically changing lanes and make turns - to the wider public this year. The name of the much-scrutinized software has itself been contentious, with regulators and users saying it misrepresents its capabilities as it still requires driver attention. Image Credit: Supplied
    12 of 13
    Stock-Semiconductor-Chip
    FABS: "Fabs," short for a semiconductor fabrication plant, entered the mainstream lexicon this year as a shortage of chips from fabs were blamed for the global shortage of everything from cars to gadgets. Image Credit: Shutterstock
    13 of 13
    Who has committed to net zero goals?
    NET ZERO: A term, popularised this year thanks to the COP26 UN climate talks in Glasgow, for saying a country, company, or product does not contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. That's usually accomplished by cutting emissions, such as use of fossil fuels, and balancing any remaining emissions with efforts to soak up carbon, like planting trees. Critics say any emissions are unacceptable. Image Credit: Seyyed de la Llata, Senior Designer

    Trending

    • Samsung to unveil new foldable phones next month

      Samsung to unveil new foldable phones next month


    • Apple targets September 7 for iPhone 14 launch

      Apple targets September 7 for iPhone 14 launch


    • WhatsApp now has native standalone app on Windows

      WhatsApp now has native standalone app on Windows


    • US: Apple to add 'lockdown' safeguard on iPhones, iPads

      US: Apple to add 'lockdown' safeguard on iPhones, iPads


    • Cyber breaches need strong government intervention

      Cyber breaches need strong government intervention


    • 5 worst phone ringtones of all time

      5 worst phone ringtones of all time

    Latest In

    • Scientists find method to destroy ‘forever chemicals’

      25 minutes ago

    • Abu Dhabi to see major road closures from today

      27 minutes ago

    • The incredible rock formations in Saudi Arabia's AlUla

      27 minutes ago

    • Global Media Congress to unite media in November

      34 minutes ago

    • Will Adani Group be India’s 2nd biggest cement firm?

      35 minutes ago

    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • Friday
    • Watch Time
    • getthat
    • Jobs
    • Printing Services
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Gulf News store
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2022. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or