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Opera Air turns browsing into a mindful experience

Opera Air, Norway

Norway – Norwegian software company Opera is reimagining web browsing with the launch of Opera Air, a first-of-its-kind browser designed around mindfulness. Moving beyond its role as a digital utility, Opera Air enhances users’ wellbeing with integrated breathing exercises, meditation tools, binaural beats and stretching prompts seamlessly embedded within the browsing experience.

Features such as Take a Break offer guided mindfulness sessions ranging from three to 15 minutes, while Boosts use binaural beats to enhance creativity, relaxation and concentration. Users can fine-tune their experience with customisable background music and soundscapes.

Designed with a minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic, Opera Air enables users to work, shop and explore the internet without digital fatigue.

In our Teens, Tech and Tapping Out report, we unpacked young people’s toxic relationship with technology and the need for healthier digital habits. Technology is an inescapable part of modern life, but software such as Opera Air enables positive digital interactions.

Strategic opportunity

How can you integrate moments of mindfulness or movement into your technology to ensure your digital experiences are positive, inspirational and life-enhancing for individuals?

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Every Friday, we wrap up the topics, issues, ideas and viral moments everyone’s been discussing. This week, deputy foresight editor Dan Hastings delves into Clean Slate, female gamers in China and coach Elmo.

: The Trump administration made it clear that trans people – rather than school shooters – were the main enemies to be erased from sports, the military, medical care and more. Now, more than ever, a tv show like Clean Slate on Prime Video feels essential. I laughed out loud and teared up watching Laverne Cox portray a 40-something trans woman returning to her Southern hometown after two decades of estrangement from her father. Despite a few sideways glances, her proudly Black, working-class community embraces her for who she is – whether at Bible study, in the church choir or at the local school's career day. Trans people have always existed and will continue to be loved, no matter what. For more trans joy, read Gender Euphoria in VR.

: Sixth Tone explored the growing popularity of otome games in China, a genre designed for women, featuring romantic storylines and immersive world-building. Predominantly played on mobile, these games provide fantasy experiences that contrast with societal expectations and real-life challenges. There is significant potential for brands targeting female gamers worldwide – so where are the beauty and fashion brand collaborations when you need them?

: In other news, On has partnered with Elmo on a new campaign encouraging runners to be kinder to themselves, I loved the meaning behind Serena Williams’ crip walk at the Super Bowl half-time show and Barnes & Noble will open 60 new bookstores in 2025, thanks to BookTok. We predicted this in our Browsing the Future of Bookstores report.

Soft Wins by On and Sesame Workshop, Switzerland

Quote of the week

‘At the end of the day, trans people are less than 1% of the population and trans people are not the reason you can’t afford eggs, that you can’t afford healthcare. We’re not the reason you can’t buy a house or your rent’s too high. I think they’re focused on the wrong 1%. I think the other one percent is the reason for all those things’

Laverne Cox on The View

Stat: Consumers admit to choosing inaction on climate change due to eco-guilt

Gaia by Luke Jerram, UK

Global – More than a quarter of people (28%) in 31 countries fall into the category of ‘anxious inactives’, according to the latest GlobeScan Healthy & Sustainable Living report. Although they care about the planet, they feel powerless and are trapped in a cycle of eco-guilt that prevents them from taking meaningful action: Gen Z were the most likely to say that they are in this situation.

The report highlights a growing disconnect between sustainability awareness and behavioural change. While 68% of Gen Z surveyed expressed a desire to ‘reduce my personal impact on the environment’, many struggle with feelings of helplessness and a lack of clear solutions that drive them to disengage. As a result, there is increasing pressure on businesses to take the lead, with consumers looking to brands for accessible, actionable pathways toward greener living.

The impact of greenhushing – where companies deliberately downplay or conceal their sustainability efforts to avoid scrutiny – is becoming evident. According to the report, ‘interest, engagement and behaviours related to sustainable living are declining in some parts of the world as brands pull back on sustainability communications due to anti-greenwashing regulations while the cost of living crisis continues’.

This shift was first identified in our Paralysis Paradox macrotrend report in 2022. For more insights into attitudes towards climate change, explore our Sustainability section.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how to simplify choices, provide clear guidance and create inclusive, affordable solutions that turn intent into action – shifting sustainability from an individual burden to a collective movement