FUTURE CITIES
Megatrends of the Future
As we progress towards the future, our livelihoods, our surroundings, our beliefs and practices, we, the people, all are changing rapidly today. Like the theory of evolution says, we are all related and will gradually change over time. But what really is defining our evolution has always been an enigma to us. Are we heading into a dystopian or an utopian world; will our technological contributions turn against us; will mankind face an era of existential crisis; are our thoughts and physical beings evolving simultaneously; will we commute to our workplaces a few years down the line? Though these questions are perpetually speculative but looking at the larger picture, things prove distinctly different. Over a longer period of time when analysts and researchers connected the dots, it gave rise to a whole new realm of riveting patterns, trends, drifts, similarities, events, which apparently seem to have defined our present days. Interestingly, the more one learns about it, the more intrigued one feels about these fascinating ideas and concepts. So quite naturally, what are these trends and factors which seem to define our upcoming future world?
Megatrends, as the name suggests, are basically clusters of events, trends, key changes in business, society, healthcare, government, resources and various other spheres, which are poised to impact structural changes and influence all aspects of our society with a long-lasting effect. During a collaborative design project to design Future Cities of 2050, I came across a website called Trendone, who researches on global trends defining our future world. Disruptive ideas, innovative developments and radical technological advances are influencing our lives, markets and industries faster and more powerfully than ever.
To ensure success into the future, it is no longer enough just to keep up with others, we have to set the agenda by ourselves.
• The Context
As designers of today, we often take up challenges to solve intricate real world problems. We dig deep into those problems, dissect them, see through them, analyze them and try to come up with solutions which promise to make major impacts to our world. Inherently, I tend to believe that it’s immensely important for us to keep up with trends defining our future products and solutions. At the same time, I also feel it’s equally valuable and integral for any other citizen to be aware of such trends poised to impact our livelihood in the near future. Nevertheless, I started studying about these various mega-trends, their macro & micro-trends, and was thoroughly intrigued. I was amazed to find that there’s an immense amount of things to learn and know about and subsequently, there are new trends coming up every year. Quite enthralled, I felt these information must be channelized to more and more people.
I naturally struck upon this idea of communicating such interesting trends across my community through graphic posters to spread some awareness. I took up a line-art style for presenting the posters which basically comprised of a title, a caption, a brief introduction and some illustration from everyday activities representing the corresponding trend concept.
• The Process
Easier said than done, the process apparently proved to be tedious. I soon realized, all these trends are actually pretty complicated to portray, thoroughly information rich, not at all simple one-liners to represent and relate to. To set a context, I started researching about these trends, reading more and more about them through various articles, websites, a few research papers, to understand the core of these trends quite deeply and framed a crisp caption for every trend. Also, listed down a few quantitative data points wherever possible, because data speaks volumes, and then carefully framed a brief discreet introduction about the concept which doesn’t necessarily depict my views. The last block of the jigsaw was figuring out a real world scene which represents the trend well. Some quick reflections on my surrounding world and the reading materials helped me form an apt illustrative artwork which communicates the sole of the idea or concept.
• The Outcome
While a lot of these trends proved to be abstract and intangible, and also difficult to represent visually through real life scenes, nonetheless, here’s a list of posters on a few trends which promise to define our future world.
Ethical Consumerism
Globalizing Consumer Responsibilities
It is reported that 20% of the world’s population consumes about 86% of the world’s resources, while the poorest 20% consumes only 1.3%. Alarming numbers indeed but the obvious counter to this stat is why would someone compromise on his/her quality of life? But reducing consumerism doesn’t necessarily mean compromising on our quality of life. Rather, changing social patterns of consumption can eventually make a difference to billions. So learn more about Ethical Consumption to build a responsible future for ourselves.
Attention Economy
Wealth of Information, Poverty of Attention
With heavy investments in content production and promotion, markets are struggling to sustain attention. It is said that 70% of all B2B content is never used while a stark 80% visitors abandon a website in less than 5 seconds. Naturally attention is one integral currency of the 21st century and this battle can only be won through smarter tools. It becomes very important for our businesses to know more about the tools of Attention Economy, like Participation Marketing, Dynamic Storytelling, Tailored Touch-points, Proximity Marketing, Aesthetic Currents and many more.
Future Cities (Dystopia)
Smart, Modern & Masked
In 2016, a record 2.26 million deaths in India and China were attributed to ambient (outdoor) air pollution of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3). While the situation today is more grim, we are probably looking at a smart, modern and masked future for our next generations. More and more global cities are on red alert and possibly rendered uninhabitable under such conditions in the next few years especially in Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, South America. We need to act responsibly for our own futures better late than never.
Future Cities (Utopia)
Smart, Modern & Sustainable
As climate change threatens long-term food security, agriculture will need to produce 70% more food for the world. With changing precipitations, increasing droughts, scorching temperatures, untimely disasters, harvest seasons have already taken a toll across a lot of regions in the world and agricultural practices aren’t progressing well. To meet such enormous demands of the future, Vertical Farming, a revolutionary approach, promises maximum output at minimum input. To build a smart, modern and sustainable future, we must adopt more such efficient methods of livelihood.
Individualization
Solidarity Movements to Personal Brands
With the advent of globalization and digitalization, the options for self-fulfillment have multiplied numerous folds. There’s a widespread desire for “Distinction not Convention” concept and hence people today are increasingly projecting themselves as unique brands with curated identities. As we take this plunge into modernity, individualization, albeit paradoxical, may soon become an obligation.
Inclusive Design
Make Things more Accessible
Nearly 4.99 crore Indian men suffer from Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD). It is amongst one of the most common disabilities humans have in the world and while it often goes ignored, it is becoming more and more important to make things more accessible and the concept of Accessible and Inclusive Design is at the forefront of our future.
Distrust Society
A Crisis of Confidence and Credibility
The internet has completely changed the way we seek, consume and propagate information. In the era of skepticism, a growing trend of Distrust towards authorities is leading us to a chaotic society where the credibility of experts are repeatedly doubted over misinformation, While transparency remains a priority, are we practising Confirmation Bias?
Data Era
Too Big to Ignore, Too Complex to Comprehend
Every day sees the emergence of 2.5 exabytes of new data, with more data racing through the internet every second than was saved over the past 20 years. While data becomes the new market commodity, the big question is whether this Big Data Era will prove significant to mankind.
While these megatrends, macrotrends, microtrends, obviously doesn’t explain all our worldly challenges and problems, but they are like a phare helping us understand where the world is possibly heading, thus giving us an opportunity to adapt, prepare and redefine our own future and, more importantly, while as responsible citizens of every nation we intent to impact our worlds in a better way, it is integral to understand how these factors are impacting our daily lives.
Thanks for reading and being possibly apprised, try to share and channelize it to more people and more communities. In the meantime, I am researching on a few more exciting megatrends and will share the outcomes soon. Cheers!
