Whether to stay connected, informed, or distracted, social media plays multiple roles in people’s day-to-day lives – and it’s proving especially useful during the COVID-19 crisis. Canvas8 polled 1,000 Americans and spoke to nine people to find out what they want from these platforms and why.

Poparazzi, an app that turns users’ friends into their paparazzi, has shot to the top of the App Store. Touting itself as the antithesis to Instagram, the app promises users a space to exhibit a less stylised version of themselves than would appear on traditional social networks.

Tiring of Big Tech, Gen Zers are seeking out alternative platforms. Members of Gen Z Mafia are building the tech world they want to see from the ground up. Since its launch, users include college and high school students, founders, and young employees at tech companies and start-ups.

After a period of rapid digitisation, in which people relied heavily on the internet to facilitate meaningful connections, modes of visual self-expression have moved far beyond the performative selfie. In this new era of metaversal living, how do people want to curate their virtual identities?