The New Megatrends

A pioneering global trend forecaster predicts how the collision of tribalism, climate change, and new technologies will shape the culture and commerce of the next two decades—a must-read guide for business leaders, entrepreneurs and anyone looking for an edge in our chaotic times

Twenty years ago, people around the world prepared for the Y2K computer glitch that would supposedly bring the global economy to its knees. Rather than overnight disruption, humankind instead slipped gradually into two decades of economic and ecological turmoil, extremism, and divisiveness, all set against the backdrop of a newly global and digital civilization. So what's in store for the next two decades?

In this acutely observed guide, renowned trendspotter Marian Salzman, whose past predictions came uncannily close to reality in the '90s and the '00s, unpacks the course of human life from the bumpy turn of the millennium through the pandemic era, when chaos and "together apart" seemed to become the new normal.

Drawing inspiration from John Naisbitt's classic 1982 book Megatrends, Salzman uses her carefully honed pattern-recognition techniques to identify the forces that are poised to shape the two decades ahead. Among her startling predictions:

• Vibrant new communities will arise in remote areas of Middle America, as living off (or nearly off) the grid become mainstream
• Scientists will create plastic-eating "super-enzymes" that will alleviate our growing pollution crisis
• "Traditional" sex (i.e., between two humans) will be less common
• A new generation of 3D printing, "DigiFab" machines will produce sophisticated physical products right in our homes

Navigating deftly between scales and time periods, Salzman connects threads across business, civic life, consumerism, family, and entertainment. Her predictions provide gripping reading for anyone seeking to understand the shape and texture of the next era, which, Salzman argues, will be marked above all by its relentless pace and technology-driven uncertainty.