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As globalism continues to re-shuffle tribes, online communities tackle hard conversations and new bonds are formed out of tragedy, a primal human unity is developing. Traditional barriers of human separation have dissolved, allowing light to expose truths through the cracks that have long been unseen and ignored. Our vision begins to refocus from a veiled internal view to an empathetic outward awareness, heightening our cultural aptitude.
HOW THIS TREND IS COMING TO LIFE TODAY:
Image from Flickr, Creative Commons License, Ted Eytan.
1. MINORITY PRIORITY
Those who were once considered the minority are now being championed at a priority. Minority groups that once considered themselves as lost without a tribe now have the opportunity to find other similar souls through online driven platforms. Mentioned in 2014’s Times cover article, The Transgender Tipping Point, once muted groups, like the estimated 1.5 million American transgender people, now have the microphone and platform to encourage the next civil right frontier.
Image from Flickr, Creative Commons License, Simon & His Camera.
2. DARK FUELING LIGHT
Tragedies breed breakthroughs in humanity; a cause, a reason to fight stirs us from our routine and prompts us to take action. From Malaysian floods, to American police brutality, to French terrorist attacks, sometimes the darkness must be used to fuel our way to the lightness of empathy.
Image from Flickr, Creative Commons License, Dirk Duckhorn.
3. DISSOLVING BORDERS
Borders are dissolved as we realize that in order for humanity to survive, we clearly see that we must band together. We realize that there is no room for cultural relativism, “we are all in this together”. The Huffington Post stated it best when speaking on non-violent Islamism, “I see the world in dots. When I connect them, I see the face of a human being! The world is one, like it or not. Connected in humanity. Connected in destiny.”
How does this trend provoke the future of your industry?
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HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY:
Offer customized care programs to those that have been underserved because they do not fit into traditional categories. Companies like Sherpaa provide Healthcare that’s data-driven, transparent, simple. They are able to create bespoke healthcare solutions based on individual needs in a quick and careful manor.
Image from Flickr, Creative Commons License, Thomas Hawk.
LOW INCOME MARKETS:
The Visa Contour card through US Bank is allowing consumers to “Put more money in their life, and more life in their money.”
Enable the low-income consumer to tap into their purchasing power to give back to the economy. The Visa Contour card through US Bank is allowing consumers to “Put more money in their life, and more life in their money.” Users can put cash on their Contour card without opening a bank account or credit card, and it will be accepted anywhere.
Image from Flickr, Creative Commons License, Gerald Geronimo.
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS:
Elevate the unity of consumers by engaging in existing traditions through new technologies. The NFL is tuning into technology to further engage their highly emotional fans through mobile fantasty football and enabling conversations with players via Tweeting commentary. Sporting events like X Games and World Cup up in-stadium experiences with an added level of virtual reality-based technology.
Image from Flickr, Creative Commons License, star5112.
FOOD INDUSTRY:
Connect into moments of consumers’ daily lives in order to encourage and faciliate new social experiences.
EatWith is a company that provides an online platform enabling travellers and locals to enjoy authentic home-cooked cuisine, meet new people around the dinner table, and have a totally new kind of dining experience as they travel the world.
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For trend thoughts/comments/questions and more e-mail us at [email protected].
Cover image from Flickr, Creative Commons License, Vinoth Chandar.