Last week’s On the dot covered a brand owner’s guide to the metaverse from 2007, and this week our resident metaverse guru Tom has uncovered an amazing study into the psychology of cyberspace first published in 1996.
Streetwear brands (think Supreme and others) set the cultural agenda among Gen Zs, which helps explain why McDonald’s is borrowing the “drop” model for a new run of nostalgic Happy Meal items.
KnowYourMeme has published an incredible report on the history of memes since 2010. It’s an essential primer on internet culture and how it’s developed, resulting in the indecipherable Zoomer memes you see online.
During the Great Recession, young, affluent shoppers in China spent big on luxury, even as demand dropped elsewhere. But the country’s zero-Covid policy (among other things) could be creating a new caution-first spending mindset.
Some other good coverage of ecommerce in China with a look at Pinduoduo’s recent success (with its focus on discounts), and a look at the Chinese metaverse.
Is there backlash brewing for music streaming? We think it’s unlikely – time spent streaming continues to grow worldwide, and in all countries we track (bar one), “my own playlists” is the most popular way to listen to music.