The Virtual Economy
Just out of reach, behind a digital curtain, exists a galaxy of activity.
A new economic frontier that may be the answer to the generational wealth gap. This report is the first-ever in-depth exploration of the Virtual Economy, the growing universe of sophisticated platforms, fledgling and often dubious marketplaces, skilled nixers, volatile assets, and ambitious pioneers that exist or operate uniquely in virtual environments.
It is a place frequented, with varying degrees of immersion, by some 2.5 billion people through phones, consoles, laptops, desktops, and headsets. It is an environment native to the tech savvy, a dual citizenship of sorts for the technically fluent. It is a place where people go to socialise, to play, to create, to work, to fantasize, to deceive, and to prosper. This is the intersection of technology and societal change, and we believe it’s the future.
02/03
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Social Mobility in the Digital Age
This project explores the ways in which technology is constraining, facilitating and exacerbating issues with social mobility in developed capitalist democracies.
The Virtual Economy Technology Radar
This interactive visualisation features 54 key emerging technologies underpinning the Virtual Economy - their current capabilities, level of activity, likely trajectory, and research ecosystem.
03/03
L’Atelier is a data intelligence company based in Paris.
We use advanced machine learning and generative AI to identify emerging technologies and analyse their impact on countries, companies, and capital.