[Report] Are you a Maker, Perceiver or Modern Utopian? Explore the “Re-invention Era”

By , 21 August 2013 at 12:54
[Report] Are you a Maker, Perceiver or Modern Utopian? Explore the “Re-invention Era”
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[Report] Are you a Maker, Perceiver or Modern Utopian? Explore the “Re-invention Era”

By , 21 August 2013 at 12:54

By Ariane van de Ven, Global Trends Expert, Telefonica

The business of trend forecasting is an unbelievably exciting one, and I’ve been doing this for many years now. Each year, my team at Telefonica’s cutting-edge research and development arm publish a new report highlighting the most important consumer trends that will affect our business in the next 5 years.

Last year, we spoke about the “Project Economy” and challenged people to set up their own projects to transform local aspirations into larger-scale successes with the power of digital tools. The report urged a proactive attitude toward life.

In 2013, our trends report predicts the “Re-invention Era” – we see this as a new context where people will re-invent and re-think every aspect of society. This in turn opens up a lot of opportunities and challenges for Telefónica Digital, as the Re-invention Era is made possible thanks to widespread digital connectivity.

To explore our findings and predictions straight away, you can download the full Re-invention Era report.

Let’s explore this in different parts…

PART 1 – The consumer typologies – which one resonates most with you?

Explorers are the risk learners  – they will adopt technologies that allow them to access experiences as a means to explore themselves and the world around them.  They will be active contributors to the Re-invention Era, applying their wisdom to discover new possibilities.

Specialists will help reshape organisations and identify new opportunities, push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation in their fields. Getting them into the right places will be key to effect change. Organisations that call themselves ‘forward-thinking’ will need to hire more niche specialists and look beyond the classic CV/résumé.

Modern Utopians are motivated by kind-heartedness and will share their knowledge to create tangible change. Digital technology will be the core enabler for creating sustainable utopias, as it will create transparent and collaborative ways for people and organisations to improve society as whole, ultimately helping to create kinder systems and communities.

Solvers are everyday people, hackers, tinkers, artists, activists…anyone who is involved in trying to approach issues and fix problems in a different way. They’re often part of the Intelligent Disobedience trend (see below), which will lead people to turn themselves into individuals who are looking for alternative solutions in order to mend a desperately broken system.

Makers will embrace hyper-personalisation and instant prototyping. From 3D printing to small scale fabrication laboratories, they will reinvent technologies so that it feels more tangible and better for people, everywhere.

Perceivers will embrace technology to improve their perception of everything from themselves to the environment to each other. They will aspire to experience an Enriched Reality whereby human and machine interaction is more empathic and frictionless.

PART 2  – An overarching view of the Re-invention Era in the form of an easy-to-digest visualisation 

Click on the image to download the full-sized infographic 

PART 3 – Here are the six main trends we’re forecasting…

Labour of Love

[Focus] The growth in the automation of mundane tasks, a more competitive jobs market and the widespread of broad knowledge and information are leading people to understand the importance of differentiation. In this context, we will see people engaging in a Labour of Love to master a specific area of expertise. Download the trend.

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Personal Odyssey

[Focus] As life expectancy increases and so does the uncertainty about the future, people are taking time before committing to life-long engagements. As a result, we are witnessing a wave of people embarking on a Personal Odyssey to uncover their potential and aspirations. People will want to be able to reassess the direction their life is taking at different times, and will engage in exploration repeatedly. Exploration never dies. Download the trend.

Click on the image to download the full-sized infographic 

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Sustainable Utopia

[Focus] If history has shown that there has always been a divide between the haves and have-nots, digital technology is bringing more transparency and is exposing injustice. In this context, it is harder for people to feel indifferent and many will be driven by kindheartedness to take action and create positive impact in the world around them. People will experiment with alternative living systems to make their vision of utopia a realistic one. Download the trend.

Click on the image to download the full-sized infographic 

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Intelligent Disobedience

[Focus] The lack of trust in authority, governments, institutions, and corporations has been growing steadily for the past decades. As a result, people are taking matters into their own hands: they are becoming ‘solvers’, individuals who are willing to fix a system that they deem fundamentally broken. In doing so, they are not afraid to defy the rules and expose wrong-doing. Download the trend.

Click on the image to download the full-sized infographic 

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Physical Pixels

[Focus] Time spent on screens is increasing year on year and we are witnessing an “overpixalisation” of the everyday. In this context, where most things and experiences are available digitally, there is a renewed interest for the physical. People will aspire to become makers: individuals who can self-produce objects. Technology will also become more tangible and embodied to satisfy our need for more physical interaction. Download the trend.

Click on the image to download the full-sized infographic 

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Enriched Reality

[Focus] The dependence on technology is growing as people expect it to improve many aspects of their lives. People will increasingly rely on technology to augment their perception of themselves and of the world around them. They will aspire to experience an Enriched Reality whereby human and machine interaction is more empathic and frictionless. Download the trend.

Click on the image to download the full-sized infographic 

PART 4 – The video walk-through… I’ve provided a first-hand account on the thinking behind this report and its main takeaways…

[youtube]http://youtu.be/pCm_Li9FqHw[/youtube] 

My team would love to hear from you – feedback, questions, debate, exploration – so get in touch with us at e.globaltrends@tid.es and also spark off any dialogue over @tefdigital, using the hash tag #reinvention.

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