Designing Future Experiences – The Pub 2035
As more people live their lives online, the absence of spontaneous, in-person social interaction and even basic human touch raises urgent questions about emotional well-being, immune resilience, and the future of public health. This project responds to a growing concern: by 2035, widespread digital dependency is predicted to intensify anxiety and reduce opportunities for physical connection.
Drawing from The Digital 2023 Global Overview Report by Simon Kemp, which reveals that over 64% of the global population is now online and nearly 60% are active social media users, we explored the long-term consequences of this shift. The erosion of “third places”—such as pubs, libraries, and community centres—has further deepened social isolation.Reduced exposure to diverse environments may lead to weakened immune systems and increased health vulnerabilities.
Rather than offering a definitive solution, we designed a provocation: a speculative future pub space that invites people to reflect on their drinking habits, lifestyle choices, and the role of social spaces in their wellbeing. This concept imagines the pub as a reimagined site of care, one that champions healthier behaviours, communal reciprocity, and a return to embodied, physical connection in a digital world.
By positioning the pub as a space of resistance to digital isolation, our project challenges visitors to reconsider how human relationships, touch, and shared rituals might regain value in the years to come.
