Metaverse - The Digital Universe! Author Neal Stephenson is credited with coining the term 'metaverse' in his 1992 science fiction novel 'Snow Crash' in which he envisioned lifelike avatars who met in realistic 3D buildings and other virtual reality environments. In the present day context, metaverse is an online virtual world which incorporates augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D holographic avatars, video and other means of communication. As the metaverse expands, it will offer a hyper-real alternative world for all of us to coexist in.