When author Kyle Chayka explored 2010s minimalism in Longing for Less, a very different world existed. Today, a polycrisis-ridden and digitally saturated society finds people yearning for more. Whether you chalk it up to post-pandemic release or a general sense of impending doom, people are now looking for a...

People are increasingly yearning for free exploration of interactive experiences, seeking out new frontiers of tech that aid these digitised journeys and brands that can satisfy their growing demand for novel social experiences online. And as people seek more control over the data they put online, blockchain tech holds a barrier-free entry to the new economies emerging on top of these decentralised networks.

Phillip Rosedale is returning to Second Life to oversee the company’s step into the metaverse. The founder is keen to ensure that this next iteration of the internet avoids repeating the mistakes of Web 2.0, which has become plagued with issues such as disinformation and online abuse.

The Sandbox’s partnership with Snoop Dogg has introduced a previously detached community to the blockchain, NFTs, and the metaverse. With emerging metaverses competing for users as interest grows, how important will established celebrities, brands, and intellectual property be?

Digital developments are transforming the ways people showcase their status online, with gaming worlds and the metaverse providing new platforms through which to distinguish themselves from their peers. But what kinds of status symbols resonate in the new virtual economy?