Opinion
2012 trendspotting
20 December 2011
Cloud computing, more sex, a digital detox and Graydar: Marian Salzman dishes up her top trends for 2012
Lipstick Geeks: The technology barons are about to be unseated, as the girls infiltrate this traditionally male-dominated sector with the appointment of IBM’s first female chief executive Virginia Rometty and 28-year-old Rachel Sterne named as Michael Bloomberg’s chief digital officer for New York City. Look for women to succeed in everything from start-ups to media gigs as they embrace tech.
Digital Detox: A natural result of internet dependency, more and more will seek to cleanse themselves and take themselves offline - at least at the dinner table! Establishments will soon be proclaiming “No Wi-Fi” as a selling point.
Power to the People: Socialising the Mighty and the Tiny. With the era of entitlement on its last legs and with social media continuing to connect us, more movements will be hatched worldwide. Common citizens will be more mobilised to speak out against everything. Regardless of what you believe or where you live, people are talking—loudly, clearly, and with great aplomb.
Life in a Cloud: Mobility, Portability, and Transience. Cloud computing will be the most talked-about trend in tech for 2012. People will share more than ever, playing music and accessing their information from anywhere, providing a seamless digital experience from start to finish. The biggest player in this cloudy business? Mobile, the perfect device because of its extreme portability and ability to access our emails, notes, social networks, and favourite music and shopping sites from one place.
With each cloud some rain must fall and internet addiction could give us all a soaking. Watch out for the signs, symptoms and treatments as they hit the headlines. Global experiment World Unplugged reported that the 1,000 young participants reported symptoms akin to drug withdrawal when they went 24 hours without media.
Can’t Buy Me Love: Financial woes wreak havoc on romance as men remain unemployed and disheartened - and become less viable mates. Even men who have jobs are often underemployed, leaving careers and marriage prospects permanently tarnished. Turns out, strong economies are tied to strong marriages and vice versa.
A Grayer Shade of Gray: Extreme fatigue is setting in, so gray best defines the year to come. We’ve all come to terms with work and life being blurred more than ever, so gray, the colour of blur, is in our sights. Tracking on the new graydar is going to help decode where we are headed this year. But it’s not just a metaphoric construct: The world really is going gray, with some countries seeing citizens getting older in record numbers.
Nearly a quarter of the population is 65 or older, so it’s no surprise that manufacturers are wooing an ageing market: LG’s successful new mobile phone boasts big buttons and text, and its new four-door refrigerators are designed to save aching backs. Toyota has introduced swivel seats to make it easier to get in and out of vehicles, and Asahi Shoes are promoting a shoe technology that’s good for knees.
Retreat from Reality: With reality TV falling out of favour and viewers looking for new ways to escape, you’ll find TV fans embracing the next generation of scripted shows. Standouts include Modern Family, The Middle, Up All Night, and Zooey Deschanel’s New Girl. Next year welcomes a full-on push for TV on the internet. YouTube will launch scheduled programming in 2012, with shows on everything from fashion to sports, while Google TV will debut as well, surely redefining the realm of the couch potato.
Is India the New Dubai?: An ATM in Mumbai that dispenses diamonds, for impulse buys? Gitanjali, the jewellery company responsible, hopes to open 75 more sparkly ATMs throughout India. Plus, Hermès launched a Mumbai store (its third in India) with pricey sari designs. Look for luxury designers to tailor goods to local tastes, e.g. Prada’s “Made in India” collection featuring woven sandals and embroidered cotton dresses.
Brand-Me-Down: More brands will attempt to bridge two generations, like Kenwood, with its strong nostalgic values of parents cooking with their children, or Tiffany pearls passed down from mother to daughter. Brands can also be passed upwards by generations. Children take their parents shopping at fashion brands Topshop and Superdry, and help grandparents pick an iPhone.
Social Goes Hyperlocal: There’s a mushrooming of social networks as they go micro, connecting us to communities in our own backyards. E.g., to join San Francisco startup Nextdoor you must live in the hood and use your real name. Plus, office conversations are now rampant online through private, cloud-based social networking services such as Yammer, Chatter, Huddle and Jive (all taking cues from Facebook). UK examples are ChiswickW4.com or BrookeGreenBugle.com
Cheap Trills Are the New Black: The down economy is leading some couples to better appreciate each other: Sales of lubricants, condoms and toys are all up as sex provides the (cheap) thrills everyone’s looking for.
Marian Salzman, chief executive, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR