Why are people choosing local and focused ways to drive social change? How are the conservative and liberal value systems changing in the digital age? Are people still giving to charity in the cost of living crisis? Why are class conversations at the forefront of culture?
Dr. Douglas Rushkoff is a professor of media theory and digital economics at CUNY/Queens. Named one of the ‘world’s ten most influential intellectuals’ by MIT, he is an author, teacher, and documentarian who focuses on the ways people, cultures, and institutions create, share, and influence each other’s values.
Over eight combined years as an editor at VICE, Refinery29 and Dazed, Amelia Abraham commissioned stories, managed teams, shaped branded campaigns and grew audiences. Abraham now works mainly as a freelance copywriter and brand consultant. Recent clients include Nike, Hinge, Royal Mail, Dr Martens, Lyst, and Matches Fashion. Having published two books on queer culture, Queer Intentions (Picador, 2019) and We Can Do Better Than This (Vintage, 2021), Abraham has talked about LGBTQ+ culture everywhere from Sky News to BBC Radio 4 to the Southbank Centre, and regularly delivers LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion talks for brands.
Aphinya Siranart is the head of exploration at the United Nations Development Programme in Thailand, where she leads the organisation’s portfolios on private finance for sustainable development and governmental digital transformation. Passionate about innovation for sustainability, Aphinya has provided technical consultations and training for hundreds of businesses, including listed companies and social enterprises, helping them integrate sustainability into their business activities, operations, and strategies. Aphinya is an Obama Asia-Pacific Leader.
Anastasiia Fedorova is a senior insights editor at Canvas8. A writer, curator and cultural strategist, she specialises in art, fashion, design, technology and visual culture. Her personal work explores sexuality, identity and queer communities while interrogating our place in a world shaped by rapidly changing technologies. As an avid sci-fi fan since teenage years, she is always interested in thinking about multiple and diverse futures.
Rebecca Smith is the Head of Toolkit at Canvas8. With a background in psychology, she has worked with global clients such as Google, Nike, and Mars, exploring everything from what people want from a fake tan to Gen Z’s relationship with social media. Outside of work, you’ll find her binge-watching reality TV, listening to hyperpop, or with her nose buried in a fantasy novel.
Alex Strang is a senior insight editor at Canvas8 who used to be in a punk band that was signed, shaped, and spat out. He enjoys using his experience of being the product to help brands understand how to sell theirs. After studying philosophy and critical theory, he found his feet in the market research world and has been over-analysing consumer behaviour ever since, including his own. He can usually be found playing board games, watching Seinfeld, or trying too hard to make his daughter laugh.