Virtual Natives

Virtual Natives

by Catherine D. Henry, Leslie Shannon
Released September 2023
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781394171354

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Book description

The eclipse of Digital Natives and the dawn of virtual culture—how Gen A, Z are radically redefining the future of work, play, economics, and social life.

We’re living through what is arguably one of the most exciting, confusing, and powerful social moments in the history of humanity, the shift from the Digital Age to the Virtual Age. This shift is being driven by technology, and the people who are leading it are the ones who know it best: the Virtual Natives. This book will introduce you to the Virtual Native cohort and mindset, decipher their socio-cultural and economic experiences, and unpack their expectations of companies looking to engage, market, or employ them.

In this book, we explore:

  • How Virtual Natives are deploying the new technologies driving the virtualized world
  • How relationships and work habits are being virtualized
  • Identify ten main Virtual Native-led behaviors that are upending work and culture
  • How Virtual Natives are evolving their expertise into a full-blown economy


This is nothing short of a cultural revolution. Virtual Natives are the driving force behind a seismic change that is redefining the world through technology and virtual worlds: this book tells you how they are navigating everything from AI to Augmented and virtual reality, gaming, blockchain and Web3 in easy, accessible language.

To understand the future, read Virtual Natives.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Preface
    1. A Revolutionary Shift
    2. Notes
  5. PART 1: A Generation Unlike Any Other
    1. 1 Virtual Is the New Digital
      1. Finding Your Fam
      2. The Road to Virtualization
      3. The Essence of Virtualization
      4. Notes
    2. 2 What Is Reality, Anyway?
      1. The Time and Space Discontinuum
      2. Traveling with Your Mind
      3. Everywhere and Anywhere
      4. Doing Everything, and All At Once
      5. Notes
    3. 3 Fluid Identities
      1. Skins, Brands, and Identity
      2. Love Is Love
      3. “I'm Whatever, and It's … Whatever”
      4. Redefining Gender
      5. Living the Dream
      6. Metaverse Games
      7. Notes
    4. 4 Radical Acceptance
      1. Shared Interests, More Than Shared Identities
      2. First Love
      3. For Fans, Virtual Is Real
      4. AI Love You
      5. Notes
    5. 5 Putting on the “Rizz”
      1. Stardom and Social Media
      2. I'd Say Yes
      3. Notes
    6. 6 From Apprentice to Expert
      1. Virtualization, Virtual Worlds, and Immersion
      2. We're All Otakus Now
      3. A Faustian Bargain?
      4. But What About the Children?
      5. From Apprentice to Master
      6. Notes
    7. 7 Create, Consume, and Own
      1. From Hobbies to Full‐time Hustle
      2. Free Agents
      3. Digital Goods, Real Incomes
      4. Virtual Sweatshops?
      5. Notes
    8. 8 Autonomous Agents
      1. No More Bullshit Jobs
      2. Hustle Harder: The Birth of the Gig Economy
      3. Okay, Boomer
      4. Late‐Stage Capitalism and the Revenge of the Precariat
      5. Quiet Quitting and the Rise of Alternative Employment
      6. Virtual Natives, Virtual Work
      7. We're All Freelancers Now
      8. Notes
    9. 9 Send Pics
      1. A Generational Shift
      2. Virtual Search
      3. Connecting Across the Generational Divide
      4. Notes
    10. 10 The First Cyborgs
      1. “Tell Us About the New Digital Natives in Virtual Spaces”
      2. Machines Are for Grinding
      3. Learning, Development, and Artificial Intelligence
      4. Can We Beat the Bot?
      5. We're All Centaurs Now
      6. Notes
  6. PART 2: The Revolution Starts Here
    1. 11 Meet the Degens
      1. The Fever Is Rising
      2. Searching for Gold in El Dorado
      3. Notes
    2. 12 You're Not the Boss of Me
      1. The Airline Puzzle
      2. The Virtual Native Megaphone
      3. The Age of Conspiracy
      4. Fake News
      5. Notes
    3. 13 Love, Sex, and Algorithms
      1. Are Dating Apps Designed to Fail Users?
      2. How Are Relationships Different on Virtual Media Platforms?
      3. Is Love a Game?
      4. Fortnite and Flirt
      5. Love Is Love
      6. Notes
    4. 14 Web3 and the Culture
      1. Whole Lotta Love
      2. Do the Renegade
      3. When the Default Is the Same Type
      4. Economic Access Is Key
      5. Notes
    5. 15 Life Is Games
      1. “Red Light, Green Light, One, Two, Three!”
      2. Notes
    6. 16 The Charismatics
      1. If AI Invented Politicians
      2. The Estonia Model
      3. Changing Expectations: “I should be able to …”
      4. Sparking Joy
      5. Virtual Natives Have the Edge
      6. Substance and Shine
      7. Notes
    7. 17 Main Character Energy
      1. Working from Home: A Structural Shift
      2. Greed Is Good and Closers Get Coffee
      3. The Uniform Versus Uniqua
      4. Valuing the Human Beyond the Resource
      5. Rebuilding with the Employee at the Center
      6. Notes
    8. 18 Future Forward
      1. The Future of Labor: Radical Self‐Reliance
      2. The Future of Education: Education as a Service
      3. The Future of Collecting: “Show Me What You Own and I'll Tell You Who You Are”
      4. The Future of Social Life: It's Global
      5. The Future of Entertainment: Interactive and Revelatory
      6. The Future of Money: Digitized and Accessible
      7. We're All Natives Now
      8. Note
  7. Epilogue: Invisible Architecture
    1. An Enduring Miracle
    2. The Digital Divide
    3. Notes
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. About the Authors
  10. Index
  11. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Virtual Natives
  • Author(s): Catherine D. Henry, Leslie Shannon
  • Release date: September 2023
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781394171354