2021 Forecast – A New Social Fabric
Make no mistake about it, coming out of this time period, our culture is going to change. We won’t go back to “normal,” because too much has already shifted. In this great rebuild, a new social fabric will emerge that reshapes cultural norms and human behavior.
2021 will just be the start of the re-knitting of our social fabric—a reshaping of how we live our lives from how we connect with others to how we work, shop, eat, have fun, entertain ourselves, and simply live. A new context and landscape will emerge that will provide a foundation for social innovation.
For example, despite all the talk of the demise of cities, cities will not die; they’ll just change. Research has shown that during times such as these, cities get reshaped for the next stage in development.
Post-pandemic, outside of cities, we’ll see citizens reshaping their communities to be more localized, tighter-knit, and resilient. With people desiring more work flexibility and shorter commutes, more comprehensive living environments will emerge that bring together work, transportation, housing, and schools. Co-working spaces won’t go away but will instead make a comeback with employees wanting to hold on to shorter commutes while getting out of their homes. Where and how we eat is still evolving. The state of the restaurant industry is currently uncertain and will continue to be so depending on how our behaviors take shape (e.g., will workers return to downtowns and lunch spots). The industry will continue to get rocked by changes such as food delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats. The retail landscape and how we shop will continue to shift, as well, along with how we exercise (e.g., Peloton), how we get healthcare (telemedicine), and how we are educated (online, on-demand, non-exclusive courses).
This all means humans are going to have to learn new norms and would benefit from new universal human training. Such training could include empathy-building and productive debate, getting comfortable living in density, discernment in consuming information and media, becoming lifelong students, learning human skills as opposed to AI skills, and becoming more adaptable and comfortable with change.
The rebuilding of trust shows up here, as well. In an interview with Katie Couric, David Brooks shares how trust in our neighbors has dropped from 60 percent two generations ago to just 33 percent now and only 19 percent for Millennials and Gen Z. To have a society (and Brooks would say a nation) that works, just like an economy, we need to rebuild trust in each other.
The Culture Forecast:
A new social fabric will start to be built in 2021 as we emerge from the pandemic, one that will demand new human learning including becoming more adaptable to continual states of change.
Why It Matters?
Businesses and brands need to connect to culture and society to be relevant and responsible. Plus, the experiences consumers seek will be different based on this new social fabric. Finally, times like these are a perfect bed for innovation. Businesses must pay attention to what’s taking shape to participate accordingly.
What You Should Do:
Listen and empathize, helping all people feel seen and heard
When creating solutions, recognize the interconnectedness and interdependence between factors to create societal well-being
Partner across government, industry, philanthropy, and civic organizations
Be a part of the solution, not the problem, and participate in the communities in which you operate to create a more productive, flourishing society for all
The Agency Oneto is a disciplined yet agile business and brand strategy agency whose mission is to partner with leaders to make a positive impact on their business and brands and for their consumers and teams, unlocking potential.
We do work in Business Strategy, Brand Strategy, Portfolio Strategy, Brand & Product Positioning, Brand Architecture, Marketing Strategy, Content Strategy, Innovation Strategy & Process, Consumer Insights, and Trend Studies.
We also lead workshops and facilitate strategy and business planning sessions, provide advisory services, and offer Executive Coaching.