Michael Abata

Chevy’s first foray into non-fungible tokens was a non-fungible dud. The automaker netted zero bids for its first NFT during an auction last month, even though the digital drawing came with a free 2023 Corvette Z06. Chevy was only accepting bids in Ethereum (most NFTs are purchased using Ethereum), the price of which has been extremely volatile in... See more

Last week, Niantic (the makers of Pokémon GO) announced Lightship, a developer platform for localized augmented reality. AR will transform how we communicate. Virtual reality, for its part, also continues to pick up speed. It’s been overhyped for a decade, but I expect we’ll look back and realize the hype was deserved all along; it just came too... See more

Following the July 1 release of Minions: The Rise of Gru, hordes of (mostly) teenage boys have documented themselves online as they orchestrate viewing events at movie theaters in their finest 8th grade graduation garb.The groups show themselves pulling up to their local movie theaters in full suits, dress shirts, and sometimes sunglasses, and... See more

New media technologies are rapidly emerging. Looking back on the past few decades of media, it’s clear that the content that catches hold plays a foundational role in sculpting how we live and think and interact. As the technologies with which we create and communicate change, cultural transmission will change in tandem.

Nike on Friday opened its latest store concept, Nike Style, in Seoul, South Korea. The athletics giant in a blog post described the store as a “remixed expression of sports retail culture that blurs the line between physical and digital.”

Nike Style has tech baked into it. QR codes throughout the store allow shoppers to open augmented reality... See more

Telehealth surged during COVID, making healthcare more accessible and convenient. And telehealth is uniquely suited to serving marginalized groups that lacked access to care or that felt uncomfortable seeking care. As the queer community swells in both size and vibrancy, new businesses are emerging to serve the community. Folx Health is a... See more

A reason for optimism is that Gen Z’s know their mental health is poor, and they’re taking action. Talking about depression is no longer stigmatized; more and more people are going to therapy. And new companies are emerging to provide support. Pace, for instance, is a startup that matches you with six strangers for weekly 90-minute video... See more