Dan McCarthy is a sub-editor at Canvas8. After completing a degree in history and American studies at the University of Manchester, he was drawn to editorial work with an emphasis on culture. In his spare time, he can be seen falling off climbing walls, listening to outdated music, and exploring the outdoors.

Amgad Abdelgadir is a London-based journalist and news content producer at Radio Dabanga. With a particular focus on open-source investigation and human-interest stories, his work bridges complex cultural narratives, particularly within youth and socio-political culture. He has also contributed to the music magazine Classic Rock as an album reviewer and has been interviewed by BBC Africa as an expert on the genocide in West Darfur in 2023.

In a hyper-connected world, it feels like everything previously ‘insider’ is more available than ever: from behind-the-scenes access to the lives of public figures to travel experiences immersing people into worlds previously deemed unattainable. But while people embrace this community-based inclusivity and unprecedented access to their icons, they still yearn for touches of exclusivity to define their status.

As the age-old understanding of exclusivity is eroded, people are redefining status for themselves using a broad range of factors beyond solely economic ones. This new iteration of status is often based around increasingly niche and local signifiers – from luxury dupes to the rise of members clubs and closed-community spaces based on shared interests. Status is becoming a mode of belonging and connection with like-minded people.

People are erecting walls of their exclusive communities, relying on more subtle markers of identity. This is apparent with middle-class people fetishising working-class aesthetics, athletes turning to niche sports like padel, and social media groups organising around niche interests – spawning companies. As status-defined micro-trends on social media accelerate, brands face a challenge to keep up. If previously certain legacy items were automatically associated with exclusivity, now people are much more trusting of the UGC-defined vision of what status means. More than ever, speed, knowledge, inventiveness, and being plugged into the community determine what – and who – is in.

Insider Status

The past decade has seen political polarisation – accelerated by social media’s filter bubbles and echo chambers – deepen and mutate. An ominous era of a polycrisis has shattered any remaining societal consensus. Meanwhile, powerful anti-establishment voices have stepped into the void.

Polarised Populations

John Semley is a freelance writer and researcher based in Philadelphia who focuses chiefly on examining conflicts between institutional culture and its rivals. His work crosses film, literature, travel, and psychedelics and has appeared in publications such as 

, and elsewhere. He also has experience as a documentary filmmaker, working in film, TV, and podcasts. He is eager to consult on topics pertaining to pop culture, drug policy, travel and trends in online/internet culture. Semley is keenly attuned to the cultural and political dynamics of various audiences and demographics, particularly Gen Yers. He's also an expert in the history and theory of communications.

Gen Z (born 1997-2010)

United States

Health and Fitness

Social networking

Community and grassroots

Intelligencer

TRBusiness

Bloomberg

The Wall Street Journal

The Guardian

Interview with John Semley conducted by the author

The Independent

YouGov

Forbes

Ipsos

El País

Know Your Meme

Enterprise Apps Today

Vine Pair

Marketing Tech News

The Federalist

AdTonos

Zyn nicotine pouches have become a phenomenon in US youth culture as a symbol of masculinity and conservative values. The brand’s virality has sparked significant debate around ethical marketing and nicotine regulation, revealing a new culture war arena that has launched it into the mainstream.