COMMERCE

WHAT WE BUY IS INFORMED BY WHO WE ARE, AND HOW WE BUY IT
We are witnessing a cyclical pattern of events that have led to a resurgence of nostalgia, a return to physical media, and the search for moments, events, and experiences.

This phenomenon is driven by the interplay between media formats, algorithmic timelines, aesthetics, subcultures, and the desire for physical permanence.

is CULTURE

modern

commerce has become a form of media

Commerce has matured. It is now an expression of cultures finding themselves, and a form of engagement. It is a platform for an emerging participation economy. Commerce is media.

VISIONS: Volume IV explores this change through the lens of "modern prophets" — media theorists — who foresaw the world we now inhabit, and does so with an innovative, multiplayer, multi-modal format.

prophets

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trend: format innovation and cyclical patterns
  • Physical and digital media formats carry distinct aesthetics
  • Reproduction of aesthetics is key in understanding current trends
  • Return to legacy physical media formats hints at unmet desire for new physical media innovation
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Context collapse and the ABSENCE of Counterculture
  • AI and algorithmic influence lead to personalized experiences, creating isolation and smaller subcultures
  • Counter-cultures struggle to exist without a unifying monoculture to oppose    
  • Online and offline perspectives often diverge, leading to contrasting communities
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The MUltiplayer Brand and the AGe of Critique
  • The need for shared context drives attempts to create a monoculture in commerce
  • Critics emerge to steer commerce towards a more uniform aesthetic, prioritizing conversions over experience
  • These Critics are equipped with the platforms and tools to make their voices reality. Innovators and brands must incorporate the discourse or be overcome by it
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Human-to-machine dynamics and the treatment of people as machines
  • As AI becomes more prevalent, human interactions adopt machine-like qualities
  • Curating human relationships in a similar manner to how algorithms curate content
  • Less empathetic discourse emerges, with people treating others as if they are machines
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VISIONS by Future Commerce
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