The immersive web manifesto

Published October 2025

For more than three decades, the web has been the world’s greatest commons, and now it must grow into its next form: the immersive web. This is not a replacement of 2D, but an extension — familiar panels enriched with 3D experiences, presence, and interaction. The immersive web can renew what some fear is “dying” online by restoring discovery, human connection, and openness.

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People of the web: Some say the internet is dead — drowned out by bots, dominated by platforms, hollowed by algorithms. But the web is not dead. It is alive, and ready to be renewed. The immersive web is how we bring it back to life — open, human, and shared.

The question is not if the immersive web will happen, but how — through what standards, policies, and design choices we allow it to emerge.

Principles

1. Continuity, Not Replacement

The immersive web does not erase the 2D internet. It preserves it, and extends it with spatial depth and interaction.

2. Familiar + Enhanced

The immersive web builds on habits billions already have: scrolling, reading, clicking, sharing. These familiar patterns will be enriched by spatial content — 3D models, immersive data, interactive environments.

3. Openness and Interoperability

The web became great because it was open. The immersive web must remain a standards-based layer, not a collection of corporate silos or closed platforms.

4. Economic Growth Everywhere

Digital interactions already drive global commerce. The immersive web will be the central nervous system of industries from healthcare to real estate, from tourism to manufacturing.

5. Shared Responsibility

The immersive web must reflect human values: openness, accessibility, security, and trust. It is a shared responsibility across borders, cultures, and industries.

Why Now

• Most transactions worldwide begin with a digital interaction.
• The web has birthed the largest companies of our era. The next generation of innovators will be born on the immersive web.
• Whoever defines the standards of the immersive web will shape the next era of global progress.
• At a time when some say “the internet is dead,” the immersive web offers a renewal: more human, more open, more real.

Call to Action

• Governments: Treat the immersive web as shared infrastructure. Support open standards and invest in research.
• Industry: Upgrade today’s digital assets into immersive formats. The immersive web is an evolution, not a reset.
• Innovators: Build openly, inclusively, and securely. The web belongs to everyone.

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The web is the world’s greatest invention for human connection. It created global giants, accelerated commerce, and reshaped culture.

The immersive web is its next great upgrade: a web that is not just read and clicked, but experienced.

The question is not if the immersive web will happen. The question is how it will happen — and whether it reflects our shared values of openness, trust, and collaboration.

People of the web, the future is ours to build. Let’s build it together.