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The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. Ive always considered immersive multimedia experiences as a medium that chips away at solitude. But never did I expect wed slide so far down the path of loneliness that it would be considered a global public health concern, an epidemic of loneliness, or a threat as harmful as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Its official: Were living in an age of social isolation. And, yet, weve never been this connected. Advances in technology have bridged previously insurmountable distances, keeping friends and families in close and constant contact, and given us the ability to build and sustain communities in ways, and on scales, once unfathomable. For many, theyve proven indispensable for sharing ideas, expressing emotions, and offering support. Every single day, billions of text messages ping-pong across the world weaving us into a state of hyperconnection. So, why do we feel so alone? Connections should be social, not just digital At the heart of this paradox are two overlapping trends: a growing retreat from the physical world and a deepening plunge into the digital one. The internet has so overwhelmingly overhauled how we relate to each other and our world, that we now think of connections, friends, and engagement as the stuff of digitalnot physicallife. More and more, the same can be said for shopping, playing, working, and dating. Occupied by doom-scrolling for dopamine hits, binge-watching content on demand, and being otherwise swallowed into the glow of our devices, Americans are spending 20% less time socializing in person than they did two decades agoand plenty more within the comforts and confines of their own homes.But humans are social beings that evolved in close, physical proximity to other social beingsand are hardwired to feel better that way. Our need for social connection runs so deep that its been found to be as fundamental as our need for food, water, and shelter. Studies show that simply looking someone in the eyes can synchronize brain waves; physical touch releases feel-good hormones key for comfort and connection; and someones scent can convey their emotional state and trigger empathy in those around them. More than just a bad feeling or even an epidemic, our loneliness is a valuable sign that we arent spending enough time together. Its telling us that being chronically online may not be enough to combat isolationeven more, it might be getting in the way of the real-world closeness we need most. Real connection requires real presence In our digitally-driven world, entertainment that presents a compelling case to leave the comforts of home and gather in the real world, feels more necessary than ever. Grounded in space and in time, immersive experiences create the sense of being part ofand part of creatinga shared reality, unique and precious in its fleetingness. But immersive experiences arent just about bringing people physically together; theyre about making them feel together, too. After all, havent we all stood in a crowd, surrounded by others, only to feel completely and utterly alone, together?With interactive storytelling, multisensory environments, and digital art stretching into 3D, immersive experiences rely on new technologies to counter some of the very issues theyve been blamed for causing. They invite us to engage with our environment, to feed off each others emotions, to linger in the in-between, and ultimately connect to something real. The goal isnt an intensity that takes you out of your body, but rather an attention and presence that brings you deeper into itonly to then be collectively transported into something bigger. These experiences have a way of bringing us back to a simple truth: There are some moments that can only be shared in the here and in the now.So, perhaps the real challenge isnt resisting the pull of new technologies, but finding ways for them to inspire connection. Our designs can invite meaningful participation, create moments of empathy, and embrace the wonderfully unfiltered chaos of real life. With each new innovation, what constitutes togetherness will keep evolving. But if we prioritize depth over distraction, and immersion over detachment, the experiences we create can be part of what makes the world a little less lonely, after all.Now, its up to us to design them. Sakchin Bessette is cofounder and executive creative director at Moment Factory.
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E-Commerce
As genetic testing company 23andMe heads to bankruptcy court, there is a lot of data at stake. The company, which analyses DNA through its salvia test kits and offers information about customers’ ancestry, health traits, and genetic risks, now seeks “authorization from the Court to commence a process to sell substantially all of its assets through a chapter 11 plan,” according to 23andMe’s press release. Your DNA data could be part of those assets. A close reading of the bankruptcy docket shows the company’s terms of service appear to allow 23andMe to transfer personally identifiable information in the event of “bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets.” That could mean millions of customers may have signed away their rights to their own DNA and genetic material without realizing it, paving the way for 23andMe to sell it to whomever buys their assets. The bankruptcy comes after the company rejected previous acquisition offers; saw a steep decline in market value, in part due to a 2023 data breach that impacted millions of customers; and experienced a fair share of company drama, including the resignation of the board. If you’re one of the millions of people who shared your DNA with 23andMe, it’s now a good time to delete your data. That’s as New York’s Attorney General issued a rare “consumer alert” on Tuesday urging 23andMe customers to delete their accounts and data, following a similar warning from California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday, in which Bonta said customers should also ask California-based 23andMe to “destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company.” 23andMe customers take to social media to complain about deleting data However, as many customers scramble to delete their data to protect their privacy, some are finding that it hasn’t been as easy or straightforward as they had hoped. And they’re taking to social media to air their complaints. On a Reddit thread, a number of 23andMe customers said they are having trouble actually deleting their data, including Reddit user jacmrose, who complained, “tried canceling and never got the email they are supposed to send to confirm.” Another user responded, “I have tried 3 times over the last few months and NEVER got the email to confirm deletion.” Over on X, another social media user reported that people trying to delete their 23andMe DNA data are facing website issues, displaying the proof: a photo of an error message. That same user also shared another observation: “[people] who think they deleted it get a confirmation emailbut buried inside is a link they still have to click to ‘complete’ deletion.” “Looks like they really don’t want us to delete the data,” that user wrote. How do I delete my 23andMe data and test sample? According to a press release from the California Attorney General’s office, here’s how to delete your data on 23andMe: Log into your 23andMe account on the website Go to the Settings section of your profile Scroll to a section labeled 23andMe Data at the bottom of the page Click View next to 23andMe Data Download your data: If you want a copy of your genetic data for personal storage, choose the option to download it to your device before proceeding Scroll to the Delete Data section Click Permanently Delete Data Confirm your request: Youll receive an email from 23andMe; follow the link in the email to confirm your deletion request Make sure to double check your spam box for that confirmation email, or visit 23andMe’s Help Page with any questions. If you previously opted to have your saliva sample and DNA stored by 23andMe, but want to change that preference to destroy your test sample, you can do so from your account settings page, under Preferences. If you previously consented to 23andMe and third-party researchers using your genetic data and sample for research, you may withdraw consent from the account settings page, under Research and Product Consents. If you live in another state besides California, you can also take these steps as a precaution, but check with your local state consumer protection agency for the laws governing your home state.
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E-Commerce
The car tires, propane tanks, gas generators and rusty appliances heaped on the side of a dirt road waiting to be hauled away filled Desiree Graham with relief. That means all that stuff is not in peoples yards,” she said on a blustery July day in Kahikinui, a remote Native Hawaiian homestead community in southeast Maui where wildfire is a top concern. In June, neighbors and volunteers spent four weekends clearing rubbish from their properties in a community-wide effort to create defensible space, or areas around homes free of ignitable vegetation and debris. They purged 12 tons of waste. Its ugly, but its pretty beautiful to me, said Graham, a member of Kahikinui’s Firewise committee, part of a rapidly growing program from the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association that helps residents assess their communities’ fire risk and create plans to mitigate it. Kahikinui is one of dozens of Hawaii communities seeking ways to protect themselves as decades of climate change, urban development, and detrimental land use policies culminate to cause more destructive fires. The state has 250,000 acres of unmanaged fallow agricultural land, nearly all of its buildings sit within the wildland-urban interface, and two-thirds of communities have only one road in and out. But experts say that even with so many factors out of communities control, they can vastly improve their resilience by transforming their own neighborhoods. Fire is not like other natural hazards, it can only move where there is fuel, and we have a lot of say in that, said Nani Barretto, co-executive director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), a 25-year-old nonprofit at the forefront of the states fire-risk mitigation. Neighborhoods all over the United States are wrestling with the same challenge, some in places that never worried about fire before. A recent Headwaters Economics analysis found 1,100 communities in 32 states shared similar risk profiles to places recently devastated by urban wildfires. A Firewise movement HWMO helps communities like Kahikinui become Firewise. In the 10 years preceding the August 2023 Maui fires that destroyed Lahaina, 15 Hawaii communities joined Firewise USA. Since then, the number has more than doubled to 31, with a dozen more in the process of joining. Everyone was like, My God, what can we do?’ said Shelly Aina, former chair of the Firewise committee for Waikoloa Village, an 8,000-resident community on the west side of the Big Island, recalling the months after the Maui fires. The development heavily wind exposed, surrounded by dry invasive grasses and with just one main road in and out had already experienced several close calls in the last two decades. It was first recognized as Firewise in 2016. As HWMO-trained home assessors, Shelly and her husband Dana Aina have done over 60 free assessments for neighbors since 2022, evaluating their properties for ignition vulnerabilities. Volunteers removed kiawe trees last year along a fuel break bordering houses. Residents approved an extra HOA fee for vegetation removal on interior lots. Measures like these can have outsized impact as people in fire-prone states adapt to more extreme wildfires, according to Dr. Jack Cohen, a retired U.S. Forest Service scientist. The solution is in the community, not out there with the fire breaks, because those dont stop the fire in extreme conditions, said Cohen. Direct flames from a wildfire arent what typically initiate an urban conflagration, he said. Wind-blown embers can travel miles away from a fire, landing on combustible material like dry vegetation, or accumulating in corners like where a deck meets siding. Theyre urban fires, not wildfires, said Cohen. The solutions don’t always require expensive retrofits like a whole new roof, but targeting the specific places within 100 feet of the house where embers could ignite material. In dense neighborhoods, that requires residents work together, making community-wide efforts like Firewise important. The house is only as ignition resistant as its neighbors, said Cohen. Communities can’t transform alone Even with renewed interest in fire resilience, community leaders face challenges in mobilizing their neighbors. Mitigation can take money, time and sacrifice. Its not enough to cut the grass once, for example, vegetation has to be regularly maintained. Complacency sets in. Measures like removing hazardous trees can cost thousands of dollars. I dont know how we deal with that, because those who have them cant afford to take them down, said Shelly Aina. The Ainas try offering low-cost measures, like installing metal screening behind vents and crawl spaces to keep out embers. HWMO helps with costs where it can. It gave Kahikinui a $5,000 grant for a dumpster service to haul out its waste, and helped Waikoloa Village rent a chipper for the trees it removed. Its been hard to keep up with the need, said Barretto, but even just a little bit of financial assistance can have an exponential impact. You give them money, they rally, she said. We can give them $1,000 and it turns into 1,000 man hours of doing the clearing. HWMO was able to expand its grant program after the Maui fires with donations from organizations like the Bezos Earth Fund and the American Red Cross. At a time when federal funding for climate mitigation is uncertain, communities need far more financial support to transform their neighborhoods, said Headwaters Economics’ Kimi Barrett, who studies the costs of increasing fire risk. If what were trying to do is save people and communities, then we must significantly invest in people and communities, said Barrett. Those investments are just a fraction of the billions of dollars in losses sustained after megafires, said Barrett. A recent study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Allstate found that $1 in resilience and preparation investment can save $13 in economic and property lossesnbsp;after a disaster. Another hurdle is asking residents to do work and make sacrifices as they watch others neglect their role. The neighbors will ask, What about the county land?’ Theres no routine maintenance, said Shelly Aina. Her husband Dana Aina said he reminds people that it is everyones kuleana, or responsibility, to take care of land and people. An island is a canoe, a canoe is an island, he said, quoting a Hawaiian proverb. We all have to paddle together. Bigger stakeholders are starting to make changes. Among them, Hawaii passed legislation to create a state fire marshal post, and its main utility, Hawaiian Electric, is undergrounding some power lines and installing AI-enabled cameras to detect ignitions earlier. Meanwhile, Firewise communities have found that doing their own mitigation gives them more clout when asking for funding or for others to do their part. After the 66-residence community of Kawaihae Village on Hawaii Island joined Firewise, they were finally able to get a neighboring private landowner and the state to create fuel breaks and clear grasses. Without that we wouldnt have been on anyones radar, said Brenda DuFresne, committee member of Kawaihae Firewise. I think Firewise is a way to show people that youre willing to help yourself. Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy. Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Associated Press
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