The 10 Megatrends
The tenth and final edition of the Non-Obvious Trend Report distilled ten years of curation into ten megatrends: the shifts that outlast any single year. Each one below links to its own page with the full breakdown.
Ten Years, Ten Megatrends
Drawn from ten annual editions of the Non-Obvious Trend Report, 2011 through 2020.
As individualism rises globally, people are carefully cultivating how they are perceived both online and offline, chasing stardom, and making themselves vulnerable to criticism in the process.
Culture & Consumer BehaviorTraditional gender divisions and labels are getting replaced with a more fluid understanding of gender identity, forcing a reevaluation of how we see employees, customers, brands and one another.
Media & EducationAs we become accustomed to consuming bitesized knowledge on demand, we benefit from learning everything more quickly but risk forgetting the value of mastery and wisdom.
Culture & Consumer BehaviorOverwhelmed by technology and a sense that life is now too complex and shallow, people seek out simpler experiences that offer a sense of nostalgia and remind them of a more trustworthy time.
Technology & DesignTired of technology that isolates us from one another, people seek out and place greater value on physical, authentic and “unperfect” experiences designed with empathy and delivered by humans.
Marketing & Social MediaIn the information economy, our attention is our most valuable resource, leading us to be more skeptical of those who manipulate us to get it, and instead seek out and trust those who communicate in more authentic ways.
Economics & EntrepreneurshipAs consumers and employees demand more sustainable and ethical practices from businesses, companies respond by adapting products, taking stands on issues, and putting purpose first.
Technology & DesignThe growing ubiquity of data and the myriad ways it can be collected raise big questions about how to make it truly useful, who owns the data, and who should stand to profit from it.
Technology & DesignAs we increasingly rely on predictive technology that keeps us and our world safe and makes life more convenient, we must contend with the privacy trade-offs required to make it work.
Economics & EntrepreneurshipAs the lines between industries erode, how we sell and buy anything changes constantly, leading to a continual disruption of business models, distribution channels, consumer expectations and even innovation itself.
Award-Winning Research
The Non-Obvious Megatrends edition and the series behind it have been recognized across more than twenty award programs.
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