NXT

Exploring and connecting global trends and human behaviors to figure out what’s next

[nxtfuture-blog]

#progressivepoor

When it comes to applying technology, developing countries are overcoming odds and shifting into high gear! They’re geotracking political events (Ushahidi), they’re avoiding counterfeit drugs (mPedigree), they’re transferring money with their phones - albeit Nokia’s, but still (MPESA), and they don’t even pay for their internet (0.facebook).

“…more than two-thirds of malaria medicine in Nigeria was fake or substandard. Now the consumers of the medicine are being armed with exactly what they need to outwit the counterfeiters…The consumer takes out a mobile phone and sends the code to a toll-free number," he explains…Within two seconds of texting the number from a pack of anti-malaria medicine, a message appears on his phone with the word "YES" - a simple response meaning the drug is genuine.”  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20976277

“On Wednesday, Facebook announced an effort aimed at drastically cutting the cost of delivering basic Internet services on mobile phones, particularly in developing countries, where Facebook and other tech companies need to find new users. Half a dozen of the world’s tech giants, including Samsung, Nokia, Qualcomm and Ericsson, have agreed to work with the company as partners on the initiative, which they call Internet.org.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/technology/facebook-leads-an-effort-to-lower-barriers-to-internet-access.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

   "Kobia lost no time getting to work, and launched his own portal two days later, marking the start of his successful business Ushahidi (or “Testimony” in Swahili). The site made it possible for witnesses of violence anywhere in Kenya to phone in place and time, which were then mapped...The Ushahidi platform, which makes it possible to easily crowd-source information — via SMS, email, Twitter and the Web — is now being used in 30 countries."

http://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-society/a-young-entrepreneur-puts-kenya-on-the-map-in-more-ways-than-one/sms-start-up-nairobi-ihub/c3s12811/

  IMPLICATIONS:

Are you considering how your technology could be relevant to these new markets?

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#thegeneralist

Put your thinking cap on ‘cause we’re entering the age of the “generalist.” Budgets are tight, projects are multi-disciplinary, and technology is evolving - forcing many companies to ask their employees to stretch their wings.  Job descriptions are getting longer and longer, combining departments, and asking for more than many are prepared to take on. Say goodbye to the Specialist, and hello to the Jack-of-all-trades worker.

  “Meaning that where you fall on the spectrum of specialist to generalist could be one of the most important aspects of your personality—and your survival in an ever-changing workplace.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2012/07/10/the-secret-power-of-the-generalist-and-how-theyll-rule-the-future/

  “Companies are hiring more free agents than ever before because they save money and acquire niche expertise to solve specific business problems. This is different from full-time salaried workers who get benefits and are generalists in their fields. In 2009, companies hired 28% more freelancers, and now in 2012, they are hiring 36% more, reports CareerBuilder.”
http://business.time.com/2012/02/17/the-end-of-the-full-time-salaried-job/

  “For various reasons, though, the specialist era is waning. The future may belong to the generalist. Why's that? To begin, our highly interconnected and global economy means that seemingly unrelated developments can affect each other.”

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/06/all_hail_the_generalist.html

  “My prediction is that the number of “permanent employees” will be dramatically reduced.  Those who remain permanent employees will be general managers or project managers who will source the right skills at the right time – externally or internally – to drive their companies forward.  This would be a vast improvement over the never-ending re-organizations we see today.”

http://lauramccracken.wordpress.com/tag/generalist-vs-specialist/

  IMPLICATIONS:

If too many of us evolve into jack-of-all-trades workers, will we be a country that’s “master of none?”

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#drgoogle

Gen Y won’t be caught dead in something called a ‘waiting room’ – they’re actually more likely to die in their beds, with their laptop open, googling their symptoms. As price-sensitive digital natives unconcerned with privacy, Gen Yers are leading the way in a trend towards more convenient and affordable web-based healthcare, whether it’s researching antioxidants in a peer-to-peer forum or snapping a picture of a mole for a digital dermatologist.

“72% of internet users say they looked online for health information within the past year. The most commonly-researched topics are specific diseases or conditions; treatments or procedures; and doctors or other health professionals” (Pew).

“People who look up their symptoms, investigate the latest treatments or research can gain more from their GP consultation, a study has found… The research follows advice that patients should generally avoid ‘Googling’ their symptoms because of the wealth of inaccurate and misleading information on the web” (The Telegraph).

“While subjects did describe many unsuccessful attempts at communicating with doctors in their past, much of what the study uncovered was a host of reasons why patients think they cannot communicate with their doctor -- why such attempts will fail. It's not entirely clear whether these are actual barriers or barriers that exist only in patients' minds. In either case, patients clearly feel unable to have the type of discussion they would like to have with their doctor” (The Atlantic).

"According to a recent study, one in four British women has misdiagnosed themselves on the Internet. Researchers found that women with real health concerns are twice as likely to go online for advice than they are to ask a doctor, their friends, or even their mothers, especially where embarrassing symptoms are involved" (ZDnet).

IMPLICATION

When it is something serious, an app might not catch it - or cure it.

image via Google Images

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#dumbdonations

Listen, just because the 49ers lost this year, doesn’t mean we should offload our losing team shirts to Africa to win back some warm fuzzies. I know it’s a bummer to think that our well-intentioned efforts could actually be ruining economies, too expensive to use, or just plain not useful to the culture…but that’s kinda what’s happening. To avoid seeing our goodhearted contributions shoved in a storage closet, let's make sure they’re relevant before we ship ‘em out. 

“A major reason that so much equipment sits idle, the report says, is that donors from hospitals and charities in the rich world don’t properly think through health-care delivery elsewhere before they ship off their surplus gear. If they have secondhand or excess medical equipment, many donors assume that, as long as it’s in good condition, it can be useful in settings that lack the equipment — not realizing that lack of resources can extend to basic infrastructure needed for operation.” http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/06/report-why-40-of-donated-medical-equipment-goes-unused-in-poor-countries/

  “Everyone wins, right? The NFL offloads 100,000 shirts (and hats and sweatshirts) that can't be sold -- and takes the donation as a tax break. World Vision gets clothes to distribute at no cost. And some Nicaraguans and Zambians get a free shirt. What's not to like? Quite a lot, as it happens -- so much so that there's even a Twitter hashtag, #SWEDOW, for "Stuff We Don't Want," to track such developed-world offloading, whether it's knit teddy bears for kids in refugee camps, handmade puppets for orphans, yoga mats for Haiti, or dresses made out of pillowcases for African children.”

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/11/haiti_doesnt_need_your_old_tshirt

  “What’s wrong with giving away shoes?” you might be thinking. “At least they’re doing something.” The problem, we’ve learned, is when that “something” can do more harm than good. As Time recently noted, an increasing number of foreign aid practitioners and agencies are recognizing that charitable gifts from abroad can distort developing markets and undermine local businesses by creating an entirely unsustainable aid-based economy. By undercutting local prices, Western donations often hurt the farmers, workers, traders, and sellers whose success is critical to lifting entire communities out of poverty. That means every free shoe donated actually works against the long-term development goals of the communities we are trying to help.”

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679628/the-broken-buy-one-give-one-model-three-ways-to-save-toms-shoes

  IMPLICATIONS:

How can we ensure that our contributions to developing countries will be relevant and useful to their culture, values, and economy? 

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Millennials are a multimedia generation spoiled with Hi-Def and Blu Ray.  With much of their lives existing on screen, Gen Y have developed a discerning visual palate and they're not afraid to judge a book by it's cover.   When it comes to health, they trust what they see: Pearly whites, good; coffee stains, bad.  While cholesterol levels and calories may be flat out ignored, you better believe they've spent some serious time inspecting their selfies to decide whether or not they need to be 'healthy' this week.  

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You would think with all this talk about Gen Y and their destitute employment situation that they would be hanging on to any job they got for dear life. Whether from Baby Boomers nurturing these emerging adults as trophy children, technology advancements creating a more mobile lifestyle, or the desire to "do more" with their life, this generation is not in it for the long haul.

"Companies around the world are dealing with the high cost of turnover for Gen-Y employees. 70 percent of them leave their job within two years of joining, reports experience.com."

-Forbes

"Right now, employers are looking to date. They're not looking to get married." -Patrick O’Keefe, a former deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, on the boom in temp hires in New Jersey. 

"Gen Y workers are job hoppers'" says Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding, a Boston-based personal branding agency, and author of Me 2.0. "They spend an average of two years at their first jobs, and the average American will have nine jobs between the ages of 18 and 32."

-Today.com

Implications:

How will companies adapt to accommodate a generation that is looking for flexibility and freedom in the workplace?

[nxtfuture-blog]

#thxguys

Although people are more strapped for cash than ever, charitable giving hasn’t abated. In fact, people who have less are more compassionate and altruistic than their thick-walleted peers. Nowhere is this more apparent than the rise of crowdfunding – where a heart-rending facebook post and a series of dollar donations can generate thousands in a matter of hours. Social media is changing the nature of giving – allowing individuals to connect directly with the people and causes they care about, whether it’s helping someone pay for a new kidney or record a new album.

“In 2011, the wealthiest Americans—those with earnings in the top 20 percent—contributed on average 1.3 percent of their income to charity. By comparison, Americans at the base of the income pyramid—those in the bottom 20 percent—donated 3.2 percent of their income” (The Atlantic).

“…The researchers gave participants the opportunity to share $10 with an anonymous stranger. A few days earlier, the participants had all filled out a questionnaire in which they reported their socioeconomic status. The results showed that people who had placed themselves lower on the social scale were actually more generous than upper class participants were" (Greater Good).

“A student captured the encounter on his cellphone and posted it on his Facebook page. On Tuesday, it was posted on YouTube, titled “Making the Bus Monitor Cry,” where it has surpassed 4.7 million views. The video prompted outrage around the Internet, with users on Reddit urging people to send Ms. Klein messages of support, and to call and e-mail complaints to the school. After viewing the video, Max Sidorov, of Toronto, responded by raising money online  for a vacation for Ms. Klein. He originally set a goal of $5,000, but has exceeded that total more than a hundredfold" (NYT).

IMPLICATION

Help people tell good stories to sympathetic ears, and they’ll love you more than money.

image via Flickr/Chris Radcliff

[nxtfuture-blog]

Cohabitation has replaced marriage. Multiple generations are living together, and same sex couples are getting hitched. These new households are broadening our definition of what a family is, and changing how we spend time and money.

"Nearly a quarter of California's same-sex couples are raising children, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The share of "nuclear families" – that is, a married man and woman raiding their children – has declined to 23.4% of California households, according to the Los Angeles Times."

-Pew

"Boomers are feeling the pressure financially and emotionally," says Suzanna de Baca, vie president of wealth strategies at Ameriprise Financial. "In many cases they're sandwiched between children who are unemployed or struggling to pay down their student loan debt and aging parents who are facing complex health and financial issues. At the same time, they're trying to prepare for their own retirement. The demands on their time and money can feel endless."

-Ameriprise

Implications: 

Since the definition of "family" no longer includes a familiar template, customization on all levels is becoming key.

[nxtfuture-blog]

"Screw genetics! Screw aging! I want abs this summer... and arms that are somewhere between Madonna and Michelle Obama." 

As a generation raised on Adderall and The Biggest Loser, Millennials don't feel limited by their DNA or what they see in the mirror. Given the right discipline, money, or tools they're confident they can make their bodies do or BE whatever they want. That might mean taking energy shots (delete that 2:30 feeling!) or implanting magnets under the skin (free wifi!). The singularity IS near!*

"That's the thing, it's not that much of a leap," said Cannon. "We've had pacemakers since the '70s." Brain implants are now being used to treat Parkinson’s disease and depression. Scientists hope that brain implants might soon restore mobility to paralyzed limbs. The crucial difference is that grinders are pursuing this technology for human enhancement, without any medical need."  - Cyborg America, The Verge.com

*"The end-game for all this is 'singularity': a state of super-intelligence that could entail endless implants and body modifications - and the end of humanity as we know it. A long time before we get there, however, will be the embracing of wearable technology by the internet's biggest brands; Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon." - Rise of the Bodyhackers, Techradar

"Biological evolution is too slow for the human species.  Over the next few decades, it's going to be left in the dust." - Ray Kurzweil

IMPLICATION

Man, machine: they're merging for business and/or pleasure. Understand how you can support bodyhackers before they really mess themselves up.

image via phoenixnewtimes

[nxtfuture-blog]

#storywebs

Multiple platforms - what’s the big deal?  Audiences are bored, and they want more out of their entertainment then traditional storytellers are willing to shell out.  It’s time to start joining forces and expanding those production schedules to craft stories that can live in unison, yet stay open to infinite exploration.

“But we've got the generation that grew up with interactive but disconnected devices… frustrated at how the stories on these devices didn't connect to each other." And those children are going to expect this to happen a lot more in the future.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/appsblog/2013/jul/04/apps-smartphones  

“Nobody enjoys the glow from someone else’s smartphone distracting them during a film’s climax. But Dutch filmmaker Bobby Boermans is encouraging moviegoers to keep their phones out during his latest movie, the aptly called App, by inviting them to download a free app prior to watching the movie which displays content synced with the horror movie.”

http://www.psfk.com/2013/03/mobile-phone-horror-film.html

“Instead, Abrams and Newell want to tell a story across platforms. They want to create characters whose tales are told interchangeably across gaming and film. They don’t think of this as innovation, per se—they think of it as necessity. The internet is forcing media to collide, to exist as one instead of in parallel, and these two extremely prominent men have seen it coming.”

http://blog.macaulaynml.org/post/43064223291/themodernworld-jj-abrams-and-valves-gabe

IMPLICATIONS

What needs to change to move today's storytellers into the 21st century?

[nxtfuture-blog]

#lifeproductions

Individuals (famous, infamous and unknown) are using apps like instagram to broadcast their lives on a continuous basis – and their followers are eating it up. So while celebrities might use these services to connect with their fans directly (or live-tweet a meltdown), some ordinary people have parlayed the documentation of their mundane experiences into sustained notoriety. How can you be successful within this new internet-driven entertainment democracy? Easy. You have assume that everyone is already interested in the minute details of your life – and make sure you’re framing a life worth looking at.

“The Internet allows the masses to wrest control of fame from traditional media, creating micro-celebrities with the click of a mouse, says David Weinberger of the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society” (CNN).

“…People snap and post pictures of anything, like pretty wallpaper at a restaurant or artsy close-ups of their cat climbing on the bed in the morning, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their lives… Professor Sundar said people once tended to take photos on special occasions, like birthdays and vacations, then post a big batch on services like Picasa and Flickr and share a link with friends. But with the introduction of smartphones with improved cameras, coupled with the rise of services like Facebook and Twitter, people are more accustomed to constantly documenting moments and sharing throughout the day” (NYT).

"I guess my growing number of followers is commensurate with my growing celebrity, however I also like to think it has something to do with the quality of my posts. I definitely try to keep it interesting, fun and enjoyable for people to follow my posts" (@allisimpson/age 14/856,000 Instagram followers).

"The narrative presentation [of the Timeline feature of Facebook] gives each member page the look and feel of a magazine – a slick publication, with you as the protagonist… Facebook has crept deeper into the texture of life, its narrative principles imitating proven conventions of storytelling, thus binding users even more tightly to the fabric that keeps it connected” (Jose Van Dijck, The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media).

IMPLICATION

It’s highly possible that some of your consumers have millions of followers. Other consumers might want to get there. Give them something to share.

image via hollyscoop

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#primalliving

Heart disease, obesity, and so many types of cancer we're running out of ribbon colors. It's finally starting to hit us—we weren't built to live like this. As the negative effects of our modern, sedentary lifestyles catch up to us, it begs the question: did our prehistoric ancestors have it right? The medical world is still arguing about it, but the surge in popularity of the Paleo diet, barefoot running, and Crossfit tell us one thing for sure: primal living is hot right now.  

"This mismatch between our ancient physiology and the western diet and lifestyle underlies many so-called diseases of civilization, including coronary heart disease, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, epithelial cell cancers, autoimmune disease, and osteoporosis, which are rare or virtually absent in hunter-gatherers and other non-western populations" (Research Reports in Clinical Cardiology).

"The caveman lifestyle… involves eating large quantities of meat and then fasting between meals to approximate the lean times that his distant ancestors faced between hunts. Mr. Durant believes the human body evolved for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and his goal is to wean himself off what he sees as many millenniums of bad habits" (NYT).

"As we subsist on more sugar, grains, and chemicals, we move less and spend more time hunched over steering wheels, computer screens, and smartphones. Those who exercise often jump on a treadmill or weight machine, training their bodies and isolating muscles in unnatural ways. Few of us have the muscle mass, lung capacity, or reaction time to sprint up uneven hills, duck branches, hop boulders, and pull ourselves up a ledge to avoid a bear. But that's how the paleo crowd thinks we should move" (Men's Journal).

IMPLICATION

How can we help these new cavemen traverse the modern world? 

image via brophyworld

[nxtfuture-blog]

#livingsmaller

Today, people and their stuff are taking up less space. It’s circumstantial – we don’t need as much (netflix has killed the DVD rack) and we can’t afford as much (at least until that student loan is paid off [hahahahaha like that’ll ever happen]). On top of that, there are cultural shifts afoot – people are prioritizing experiences over material things and looking to share items they would formerly own. A new generation, armed with technology, is saying “no thanks” to McMansions and “yes pleez” to anything that’ll give their peers FOMO on instagram.

“The millennials’ relationship with money seems quite simple. They do not have a lot of it, and what they do have, they seem reluctant to spend. Millennials are buying fewer cars and houses, and despite their immersion in consumer culture, particularly electronics, they are not really spending beyond their limited means. Their credit-card debt has declined, most likely because many millennials cannot get a credit card, and in part because they know they cannot afford to spend now and pay back later" (NYT).

"Susanka has zeroed in on this group even further. “It’s at least a quarter of the population of the United States (referring to what author Paul Ray calls the “cultural creatives”) who look at what’s happening in suburbia and say, ‘Oh my God, I don’t want that.’ They have historically purchased existing houses in the inner ring of the suburbs. The reason they’ve done that is that the houses have character and the neighborhoods historically are strong.” These people are often educated, progressive types of varying income levels who think about more than just their own needs. “You could say they have ‘green’ values,” Susanka says, speaking from her not-so-big home office in Raleigh, N.C." (MSN).

"Although her charming aerie has a working fireplace and a courtyard view, here is what Ms. Stolarski’s apartment does not have: a couch; tchotchkes; specks of dirt; paperwork (“I’m 25,” she shrugs. “I’m a digital girl.”)... As for entertaining guests? Like many others with no space to spare, she usually meets friends at bars and restaurants" (NYT).

IMPLICATIONS

How can you support the minimalist-by-necessity lifestyles of today's experience-driven non-materialists?

[nxtfuture-blog]

#tastemakers

It used to be that when you wanted sneakers, you bought them in your size and went on your way to play in the sandlot or whatever. Now, it’s all, “Running? Barefoot running? Wait, are these fair trade? What color is ‘me’? Should I buy them cheap online or from my sad local shoe store? Ah!! Decision fatigue!!!” The number of choices available to the average person and the importance of said choice in conveying a personal brand can result in a formerly mundane activity becoming a several-months-long research project. HOWEVER. There is hope. Where it used to be just Oprah helping her acolytes understand what they should buy with her “favorite things” lineup, today, content curation platforms are proliferating on the internet, helping to filter and sort every single thing in the world. We trust these curators because their collections are customized, authentic, and brand-agnostic – and they share our great taste.

"Shoppers are turning to these curated experiences to help filter the Internet's overwhelming amount of content down to manageable collections of products centered around shared taste. Unless you know specifically what you want to buy (in which case, search is the weapon of choice), browsing curated collections can be the most interesting way to discover new products and retailers. As an example of the power of human curation, just compare the results of a Google search for gloves with the same search on Pinterest. Now ask yourself which search makes you want to buy something?" (Mashable)

“’Amazon.com was e-commerce 1.0--it was about being able to buy things online,’ he says. ‘Now we're at the beginning stages of e-commerce 2.0. It's about how you fundamentally change the way products are purchased. We're creating new ways you buy things. It's not about search. It's about people selecting products for you’” (Entrepreneur).

“[Birchbox] costs $10 each month, which includes shipping. It is meant to help shoppers bedazzled by the dizzying selection of products that greets them upon entering a store like Sephora or Bloomingdale’s, said Katia Beauchamp, one of the founders of the company… ‘I think every woman needs a best friend who is a beauty editor to curate the clutter and find the best products for them,” Ms. Beauchamp said’” (NYTimes).

IMPLICATIONS

For the most part, when curators aren’t being paid, they can't be controlled. A brand looking to generate online buzz better have a great product—and one that's highly bloggable—to get showcased in these powerful collections.

image via AP/Sydney Morning Herald

[nxtfuture-blog]

#climatecontrol

Look out your window – lately the weather’s been CRAY. 2012 featured a number of extreme weather events, from SuperStorm Sandy to snowfall in the Middle East. Besides devastating communities and ruining infrastructure, these events have also served as a warning: the earth is getting warmer. At this point, it doesn’t matter who or what is to blame – but it’s clear we need to work to reduce emissions, prepare for dangerous climate conditions and even figure out how to prevent future warming from occurring. While geoengineering can feel like a comic-book answer to our problems, it won't fix the behaviors that are causing this in the first place, and leads to the question: Will we really be willing to give up bacon* to save a few glaciers?

*“The trillions of farm animals around the world generate 18 percent of the emissions that are raising global temperatures, according to United Nations estimates, more even than from cars, buses and airplanes” (NYT).

"Nearly 4 out of 5 Americans now think temperatures are rising and that global warming will be a serious problem for the United States if nothing is done about it, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds… Phil Adams, a retired freelance photographer from North Carolina, said he was "fairly cynical" about scientists and their theories. But he believes very much in climate change because of what he's seen with his own eyes" (CSMonitor).

"'Each year we have extreme weather, but it’s unusual to have so many extreme events around the world at once,' said Omar Baddour, chief of the data management applications division at the World Meteorological Organization, in Geneva. 'The heat wave in Australia; the flooding in the U.K., and most recently the flooding and extensive snowstorm in the Middle East — it’s already a big year in terms of extreme weather calamity'" (NYT).

“If we want to avoid large climate change we need to act now on greenhouse gases,” he said. “Global warming is not yet damaging, but if we do nothing in the coming years we will have more extreme events, droughts, storms and so on” (Columbia).

"In his September 6 acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, President Obama -- whose reticence about so much as mentioning global warming has flummoxed environmental activists -- used the subject to launch an unexpected attack on his opponent. "Climate change is not a hoax," the president declared. "More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They are a threat to our children's future." In the after-speech gabfest, Politico cited the moment as one of Obama's top applause lines" (The Atlantic).

IMPLICATIONS

As climate change becomes less a problem for posterity and more a troubling reality, it's time to tighten the belt on emissions for both consumers and companies. That's if you want a belt in the future.

image via gunaxin

[nxtfuture-blog]

#momandpopdotcom

The 5-cent candy prices may be gone, but the mom-and-pop-shop spirit is back in the rent-free space called the Internet. E-commerce startups like Etsy, Kickstarter, and Warby Parker are taking back the power from big box stores by cutting out the middleman, while the entrepreneurial spirit is rearing within hordes of DIY-ers. Without inventory, rent, or traditional advertising, consumers are able to connect directly with the products they want – while sticking their finger to the man.

"On some level the Etsy idea is not really techno-progressive at all. It’s nostalgic… Buying something from the person who made it is “the opposite of what Wal-Mart is right now: just this massively impersonal experience,” he told me earlier. “When you get an item from Etsy, there’s this whole history behind it. There’s a person behind it"” (NYT).

"Traditionally, designers have been very dependent on their few retail channels [...] Retailers called the shots--they paid your mortgage or your rent. When those accounts go away, designers are no longer tied to these companies dictating how, when and at what price they sell your products. Suddenly people were free. They didn't have to worry about stepping on anyone's toes, because the big retail accounts are no longer big retail accounts. That's a new phenomenon" (Entrepreneur).

“This sharing economy is based on people coming together to create their own markets (Airbnb), their own products, (Etsy), and their own currency (TimeBanks). It relies on shared needs, trust, and the belief that the group is stronger than the individual. This new shared market economy is being driven by a quiet revolution: the millions of Americans who no longer want to prop up our faltering economy with endless and thoughtless consumption” (The Atlantic).

IMPLICATIONS

Large companies: How can you enable and profit from the DIY spirit without getting directly involved?

image via Wikimedia

[nxtfuture-blog]

#fooduniform

Although America still loves a fad diet (see recent juicing craze), we’re seeing people start to reject one-size-fits-all recommendations in favor of crafting a personal guidebook for what they will and won’t eat on a daily basis. Whether based on food sensitivities, sourcing of ingredients or just a commitment to recreating the caveman’s lifestyle, people are using their food rules as another way to assert their uniqueness and tell people who they are.

“Today’s restricted eaters are prone to identity-driven pronouncements along the lines of “I’m gluten free.” (It’s worth nothing that, back in the aughts, no one declared “I’m Atkins!” Except, quite possibly, Dr. Robert Atkins himself.) Consumers seem to be building self through sustenance, adjusting their appetites to reflect independence and moral character“ (NYT).

"We have a lot of self-diagnosing going on out there," said Melissa Abbott, who tracks the gluten-free market for the Hartman Group, a Seattle-area market research organization” (CBS).

“A friend who is on Weight Watchers was staying with us recently and expressed her frustration with the program because it is simply not set up to deal with individualized diet counseling. The program is wonderful for people who have been eating unhealthily and really didn't know that a bacon double cheeseburger with fries has more calories than a grilled turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread. They not only lose weight; they learn to improve their food choices. But I know all this” (HuffPo).

IMPLICATIONS

Is it better to be perfectly right for some or somewhat right for most? Is designing for the mean even a sustainable option?

image via theLostOgle