I’ve just started thinking about trends for 2010+ Here’s my initial long-list:
Globalisation unravelling
Unsupervised adults
Digital isolation
Flight to the physical
Conspicuous non-consumption
Constant partial stupidity
Resource nationalism
Rare earths
Electricity shortages
Hunger for shared experiences
Industrial repatriation
Re-sourcing
Location awareness
Synthetic biology
Expecting less
Cautious optimism
Great list – definitely anticipate a greater hunger for shared experiences as tv scheduling becomes even more redundant in favour of streaming services and catch-up TV. Sure beer and television manufacturers will be licking their lips at the prospect of the football World Cup…
I think synthetic biology is going to be huge once it takes off, but it’ll take a while to create all the building blocks. Also keep an eye out for fear fatigue, as people get tired of fear-peddling and the extra costs for mitigating fear (e.g. driving your kids to school instead of letting them be Free Range Kids).
Fear fatigue feels right on the money to me. Like free range kids too. Mine are a little too free range – closer to feral in fact. My experience of UK kids is that most are bred in captivity these days.
Another thought…2012 as a 2010 trend. We seem to be gripped by outbreaks of irrational panic these days and given that the world is supposed to end on 21 December 2010 I would expect that we will soon start having a panic about it.
Another thing I’m starting to see is ads about getting on top of things or brands that understand how frantic or chaotic life is. I guess this is about control or rather the aspiration for control.
I meant 21 December 2012!!!
BTW, another trend contender – presence as in the opposite of telepresence.