Oxford's Word of the Year Might be 'Metaverse' The general public can participate in choosing the Word of the Year with 2 December being the deadline for the people to cast their votes
By Saptak Bardhan •
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Oxford University Press announced three finalist words or terms of 2022: Metaverse, #IStandWith and Goblin Mode. Metaverse has become a buzz word and is slowly becoming solid in public consciousness.
The general public can participate in choosing the Word of the Year with 2 December being the deadline for the people to cast their votes. This is the first time the general public can participate to choose the Word of the Year. At the time of writing, over 280,000 votes have been cast.
"In 'metaverse', we see the conceptual future brought into vernacular 2022. From hybrid working in VR, to debates over the ethics and feasibility of an entirely online future, usage of this word hsa quadrupled in October 2022 compared to same period last year," said a statement released by Oxford University Press.
Oxford University Press stated #IStandWith "recognizes the activism and division that has characterized this year" and has explained 'Goblin mode' as "the idea of rejecting societal expectations put upon us, in favour of doing whatever one wants to."
The rebranding of Facebook as Meta put metaverse as a prominent entity in the public discourse. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Meta has been a key figure in the space despite the stock collapse of the company. Meta spearheaded the creation of 'The Metaverse Forum' including the likes of Microsoft, Sony, Intel and approximately 200 prinicpal members to 'foster interoperability for an open metaverse'.
