I agree with your opinion that if we look at the definition of the metaverse itself, it is a virtual world created on the internet and can be explored where users are not in the same physical space and even though they are far away they can communicate with each other.
what distinguishes then and now is because in the past the technology was not as advanced as it is now and they sent messages on the internet etc. it was the most advanced in its time.
But now the metaverse has evolved to something more refined with them being able to create tools that can create avatar characters and we can explore deeper either with VR or other advanced tools.
and does really have that potential and lets see on regarding with future updates to come.
no matter how realistic the metaverse is what matters is that it can be put to good use by humans who want to put it to good use that's what's most important to me.
On the other hand, utilization like this must be accompanied by the desire of humans themselves because technology is getting more advanced when we can't compete there so sooner or later we will be behind in technology.