Why futures, why now?

Our world is changing at an unprecedented pace, and nowhere is that more evident than with the rise of AI. But technology is not the only driving force behind this rapid transformation—people themselves are evolving in fascinating ways. 

In media ecology theory, it is said that communication technologies—from the alphabet to the Internet to ChatGPT—are the key drivers of social change and influence how we as humans think and process information. Every new communication technology has been met with both excitement and trepidation. In fact, Socrates himself was distressed by the invention of the alphabet, fearing we would lose connection with our souls through writing.

He wasn't wrong. Communication technologies have dictated whether we conceptualize time cyclically or linearly. Today, one could argue we live in a hybrid linear and non-linear way of thinking. 

TL;DR: With rapidly advancing technology comes rapidly advancing social change.

Let's look at a few fascinating points:

• 41% of Gen Z identifies as gender-neutral on the masculine-feminine scale, according to Vice2030. Younger generations are literally changing the concept of gender.

• 45% of Gen Z and young Millennials want to live and work on Mars, according to YouGov. We are literally changing our concept of home.  

• 43% of people under 30 have used ChatGPT, which is a much higher rate than older generations, according to Pew Research Center. We are literally changing our process of knowledge gathering.

• More than half of Gen Alpha has spent significant time in the metaverse via games like Roblox and Minecraft, according to Dubit. While adults may see this as a passing trend, the metaverse will be status quo for this generation. We are literally changing our concepts of social interaction.

If you think these changes do not impact your organization—your brand, your communications, your revenue model, and more—you may want to reconsider. These are not passing fads but full-scale upheavals, and the pace of change is not going to slow down anytime soon.

How do you thrive in a world that feels like it is moving under your feet?

Over the past 5 years, I've seen a marked increase in clients seeking insight into what life will be like in the coming decade. What they are really asking for is foresight. While futures and foresight methods have been embraced by governments, NGOs, and consultancies, we have yet to see widespread adoption in practices such as branding, marketing, customer experience, and user experience design.

These fields must urgently embrace this type of thinking to thrive. And of course, beyond brand and marketing, organizations must embrace futures and foresight into their business and growth planning approaches.

If your organization has not yet created a futures team or started thinking in this way, now is the time to start. If you're interested in exploring the possibilities, contact us at laura@tmrwandtmrw.com. We would love to talk about what your tomorrow could look like.