Fun fact, if the dotcom domain ‘Digital Native’ had been free, then the name of this website would have been that. Years later, I think Geek Native is better, despite a similar-sounding site I only found out about later.
Even as culture and society pivot through turmoil, we’re more digital than ever. This is true despite the crumbling of crypto exchanges, the disappointment of NFTs, the lack of effective micro-payments, and rolling debates about anonymity and trolling.
A BanklessTimes report revealed that 7 in 10 people now consider digital items part of their identity.
What are digital items? Thankfully, these are more than the pyramid of NFTs and extend to video games, audio and video tracks, avatars, and custom skins. This isn’t new, as WinAmp skins gave us digital style or telnet-based MU*s created early avatars for us.
The survey notes;
- 80% of US Millennials claim their digital identities are important to them.
- 44% of consumers believe the Metaverse is an opportunity to reinvent themselves.
There are some meat-space differences. The study shows that 67% of Americans considered their digital self important aspects of their real life, but only 53% of people in the UK. That 53% still means more than half, but that’s a big gap between the two countries.
Only 33% of Brits would buy digital land, with 48% of Americans willing to do the same, and you cannot live there. However, digital land is a term for space on the Metaverse, sadly often bundled with NFTs, and the general public sees some potential value there. The survey said that 56% of Americans and 32% of people in the UK see the Metaverse as a place to reinvent themselves.
Lastly, 28% of Americans in the survey said they spent at least $49 a month on digital assets.
So, are we digital people now? Merging with the internet and uploading ourselves to escape online is still sci-fi. What’s real, though, is that our digital personas and the digital loot they have are more meaningful to us. Things don’t need to have a physical form to be necessary.
🤖AI Disclosure. Software helped create images in this post. Geek Native's AI Content Policy.
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