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2020 Cultural Trends
The six social trends in the U.S. that are expected by 2020 are; Inclusivity and Ethics, a new code of creativity, humanity in a Digital Age, purpose revolution, Mothers of Ambition, and the Rise of Virtual Influencers.
SOCIAL TRENDS IN THE US BY 2020
1. Inclusivity and Ethics
- This is the top social trend which is expected to maintain the same pace going into 2020 has a new sense of vitality and change powered by youth and by groups that did not previously have voices.
- In this trend, the newly empowered, often optimistic and aspirational individual will demand transparency, ethics and social conscience from both countries and corporations.
- The focus of this trend is design on doing rather than just producing, and design thinking will take on a new sense of purpose.
- This trend is specific to Gen Z and will mostly influence or affect the demographics of millennials or Gen Z.
2. A new code of creativity
- This is another social trend which is expected to maintain the same pace going into 2020 influencing the general population.
- The advancement in science and materials will make re-engineering almost anything from biological codes to computer codes and dress codes.
- The combination of nature and technology will create a new systems, materials and products that will merge the physical and digital worlds.
- As we enter from the Industrial Age to the Organism Age, through the Digital Age, DNA and micro-organisms will be used to solve the macro problems of tomorrow.
- This trend is specific to the general population and will mostly influence or affect the overall demographics.
3. Humanity in a Digital Age
- This is another social trend which is expected to maintain the same pace going into 2020 where humans will demand more from technology and from themselves that will create emotional intelligence and connections for both real and digital world.
- This will be the cornerstone of the future that will also integrate human needs for touch and physicality in a world of invisible tech, and at the same time this will give tech a sense of emotion.
- According to experts, the rise of artificial intelligence will make most people better off over the next decade.
- However, this raises concerns about how advances in AI will affect what it means to be human, to be productive and to exercise free will.
- In other words, as humans become more digital, technology will become more human.
- This trend is specific to Gen Z and will mostly influence or affect the demographics of millennials or Gen Z.
4. Purpose revolution
- This social trend is expected to maintain the same pace going into 2020. Where it redefines what humans are here for, what makes them happy, and, with millennials especially, what they’re spending their money on.
- This trend is undermined by three pillars such as well-being, self-improvement, and experience.
- Well-being is ‘what millennials want’ in the age we live in; self-improvement can be financial gain or education or enjoying simple life while experiences include everything from food, to travel, to events.
- The well-being part links drastically to another point where there is a rising awareness of how social media can affect mental health.
- A 2018 study conducted by Origin of over 1000 participants found that 34% of Gen Z are quitting social media permanently and 29% say it ‘tears apart their self-esteem.’
- This trend is specific to Gen Z and will mostly influence or affect the demographics of millennials or Gen Z.
5. Mothers of Ambition
- Another trend that is expected to maintain by 2020 is where single people are experiencing a revolution in the way they’re treated and the way they and other people view themselves.
- Compared to the past where it was commonplace for mothers to go on maternity leave and housewifery was still a common trend amongst young mothers, but there isn’t a need for that trend now.
- A new trend in which mothers post pregnancy pictures on LinkedIn — expressing the fact they’re pregnant, but that they’re not any less ambitious.
- While males are pushing back against toxic masculine stereotypes.
- Teenagers are also pushing back against unrealistic body and skin expectations.
- This trend is specific to the general population and will mostly influence or affect the overall demographics.
6. The Rise of Virtual Influencers
- Another trend that is expected to maintain by 2020 is the emergence of virtual influencers.
- Virtual influencers are defined as computer-generated-imagery-created influencers who are designed to portray ideal lifestyle.
- Virtual Influencers are gaining popularity, though some people may be blind to it or may not understand the concept but this trend is expected to maintain the same pace up to 2020.
- There are benefits of virtual influencers but this trend of artificially creating personalities poses a massive potential risk to the future of culture and media.
- The notable rise in followers of virtual influencers indicates that it may last longer than a mere ‘fad’ or ‘craze’, and their popularity is reflective of a wider change in how people are starting to consume media.
- In reality, people are more open to following ‘non-real’ influencers online than real influencers.
- This trend is specific to Gen Z and will mostly influence or affect the demographics of millennials or Gen Z.
About WGSN
- A company owned by Ascential plc, the specialist, global information company that enables smart decision-making for the world’s most ambitious businesses. WGSN is composed of trend forecasters and data scientists obsessively decode the future to provide the authoritative view on tomorrow. The company provides globally relevant content including daily trend intelligence, retail analytics, consumer insights and bespoke consultancy services.
About Wunderman Thompson’s Future100
- The Future100 is published by Wunderman Thompson and one of the main subsidiaries of PR and marketing agency WPP. This company predicts which social trends are going to take off — and defines our culture and the advertising and product market — in the next 365 days.
Research Strategy:
We leveraged a compilation of industry insights, market research, leading media articles or trend expert publications for the social or cultural trends in the U.S. by 2020. We started our research by searching for pre-compiled information of social trends in the U.S. that is expected to keep pace by 2020. We found three list of social trends or cultural trends in the U.S. that is expected by 2020 from the article of trend expert of WGSN. WGSN is a global information company composed of trend forecasters and data scientists providing globally relevant content including daily trend intelligence, retail analytics, consumer insights and bespoke consultancy services. Thus, we have considered the information presented as reliable. In addition, we were also able to list another three reliable social trends from the Future100 insights, published by Wunderman Thompson. This company predict which social trends are going to take off and define the culture, the advertising and product market in the next 365 days. Since this article is presented in the current year, we can then expect that the following trends presented are expected to maintain by 2020. Lastly, we then analyze each trends to determine if it is specific to Gen Z or Millennials and what demographic is mostly affected/influenced.
To summarize, we were able to provide six social trends in the U.S. that are expected by 2020 which include Inclusivity and Ethics, A new code of creativity, Humanity in a Digital Age, Purpose revolution, Mothers of Ambition, and The Rise of Virtual Influencers.