A sequel in 2026 would probably keep the same storytelling approach: a handful of ordinary people whose lives reveal what has changed about America. In 1986, the addictions were cocaine, money, and status. In 2026, the addictions might be attention, outrage, algorithms, and the illusion of certainty.

It might introduce characters like:

• A real estate agent who spends every waking hour creating social media content, projecting a glamorous life while struggling to make mortgage payments.
• A software engineer laid off after AI transformed the industry, retraining while wondering whether the next job will disappear just as quickly.
• A teenage influencer with millions of followers but crushing anxiety, measuring self-worth by engagement metrics.
• An aging office worker who did everything “right” yet can’t afford retirement because housing, healthcare, and insurance costs have outpaced savings.
• A gig worker juggling rideshare, food delivery, and freelance jobs, constantly chasing the next notification.

The chorus might evolve from:

Pick a habit…

to something like:

Pick a platform…
We got one for every state of mind.

The central irony would be similar: society appears more connected than ever, but many people feel more isolated than ever.

A few lines in the spirit of David & David—not intended as an imitation, but capturing the same observational style—might read:

Mason streams from a one-room flat
Smiles for strangers who keep him fed
Ring light in the window
Silence in his bed
Thirty thousand followers
Nobody to call instead

Or:

Sarah bought a perfect life
Monthly payments, fifteen ways
Every dream’s a subscription
Every hope’s delayed
The phone says she’s connected
She hasn’t spoken all day

And perhaps the chorus:

Welcome, welcome to the boomtown
Pick a platform, everybody’s looking down
Welcome, welcome to the boomtown
Every soul’s for sale if the price is right now
Welcome to the boomtown

The original song portrayed a city where people were consumed by physical excess. A 2026 sequel would likely portray a world where people are consumed by digital excess. The expensive Porsche and cocaine on the dresser would give way to smartphones, AI, endless scrolling, curated identities, and economic insecurity—different symbols, but the same underlying question: what does prosperity mean if people are increasingly lonely, anxious, or disconnected?