People are craving comfort. Amid what can feel like a state of constant crisis – a layering of traumatic societal events – it can sometimes seem like we’ve lost a sense of scale and cohesion. In the face of this, the desire to retreat into nostalgia is more seductive than ever.

In the wake of Elon Musk's Twitter takeover, hundreds of thousands of people are signing up for Mastadon, an alternative that's billionaire-free. As people become tired of legacy social media platforms, they're prioritising community-operated spaces that allow for co-creation and moderation.

Gas is a social media platform beloved by US high schoolers that encourages them to say nice things about each other. Young people are increasingly disillusioned by legacy social media and are turning to alternatives that allow for more candid interaction and legitimate connections.

BeReal is a social media app that hinges on the principle of scarcity. By limiting posts to one a day, it encourages users to share a snapshot of their daily lives in real-time rather than curating an idealized feed – a reflection of how demands for authenticity may reshape online communications.

From COVID-19 to the war in Ukraine, the desire to know about important news can lead to an obsessive focus on emotionally draining content. How can brands help people stay informed while protecting their wellbeing? Canvas8 spoke to Bhakti Sharma and Susanna Lee to find out.