Lives of Tomorrow How Fourth Spaces Are Redefining Community
Mar 31, 2026
Quentin Humphrey, Director of Creative Intelligence at WGSN and cultural forecaster, explores how online passions spawn real-world communities. He explains what fourth spaces are and why they grow now. He shares examples like Discord-born parties, nomadic supper clubs, and how these niche, hybrid gatherings could incubate startups and reshape how brands engage.
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MC Studios Showroom Blends Store With Creator Hub
- MC Studios opened a Soho showroom where creators borrow clothes, read, work and share photos via an app.
- Humphrey uses this as a brand example blending physical hub with online sharing.
Fourth Spaces Are Location Agnostic And Nomadic
- True fourth spaces are location-agnostic and can appear in different cities as the community moves.
- Humphrey stresses members meet wherever the hobby leads, making pop-ups and nomadic events natural formats.
Gen Z Leads Fourth Spaces While Gen Alpha Will Normalize Them
- Gen Z drives fourth spaces now, but Gen Alpha may normalize the term as they blend online, AI and real-life fluidly.
- Humphrey contrasts millennials (digital native), Gen Z (internet fluid) and alphas (AI native).