Social Fitness Crisis, Taste Gaps, and Roundup #30
While we eat beef-infused rice and edible robots with shape-shifting plastic, professional bridesmaids with new English accents attract Looksmaxxing men mining in Halleck Creek.
A crisis comes into focus (and will become a notable opportunity for businesses).
A “standout skill of tomorrow” takes shape (and will become a notable requirement for talent development).
And, between it all, we have a roundup that explores what we will eat, shift, do, and, maybe, try.
Okay, let’s roll right into it.
One Big Thing
The Social Fitness Crisis
We’re all familiar with the importance of physical fitness for our health. But what about social fitness?
A recent report by the U.S. Surgeon General painted a concerning picture: loneliness is now considered a public health crisis, with negative impacts as significant as smoking and obesity. 58% of Americans report feeling consistently isolated, and young people are especially affected, spending significantly less time with peers compared to previous generations. As The Atlantic recently reflected, this crisis has been decades in the making.
In response, the Surgeon General emphasizes the healing effects of social connection and community. Just like physical exercise strengthens our bodies, social interaction strengthens our emotional and mental well-being. It fosters a sense of belonging, reduces stress, and even boosts our immune system.
What to Watch For:
While we each have a personal responsibility to invest in all types of fitness, businesses are always quick to capitalize on societal trends.
Technologies Evolve
We should expect technology companies to expand their apps into the social fitness space. Imagine “social health” metrics on your Apple Watch, tracking and rewarding you for having a meal with friends.Business Strategies Shift
Businesses may increasingly embrace “Go-to-Community” strategies over traditional “Go-to-Market” tactics, acknowledging the importance of fostering connections and belonging with their new era of stakeholders—their customers and employees.Clubs Become Cool Again
Outside of work, the next few years should see a rise in participation in hobby, interest, and sports-centric clubs, plus an uptick in membership in professional and trade associations.
While commerce capitalizes on this cultural crisis—and these potential solutions will do meaningful work in this arena—it will be all of our jobs to ensure authentic connections thrive outside of commercial-led, AI-personalized commodification.
The Roundup
Eat It
Genomic Nutrition, using peoples’ genetic, phenotypic, and behavioral information to generate personalized Essential Nutrition Reports
Beef-infused Rice, this pink-tinged rice has cow fat cells grown inside them — and could become a nutritious, flavourful, and sustainable food source
Human-Edible Robot Interaction, the newest robotics subfield focuses on developing robots that can be eaten as they move
Shift It
Shape-shifting Plastic, enabling a single object to transform for multiple uses, like a fork for eating and a spade for gardening after
Halleck Creek, a place in Wyoming, is about to become the world’s indispensable rare earth mineral supplier
Spiral Diopter Lenses have multiple focal points, which could make for glasses or contacts that provide a clearer view over a range of distances
See It
Solarpunk, the next big literary design movement, resolves the false dilemma of techno-maximalism
Stinge Watching, the opposite of Binge Watching, where people self-regulate their streaming of favorite shows
Text-to-Video Game, AI is now moving from prompt to playable video game in the style of classic 2D platformers like Super Mario Bros
Do It (Maybe)
New English Accent, aka “TikTok voice,” includes “uptalk” (a rising intonation on declarative sentences) and “vocal fry” (a soft creak as you speak)
Looksmaxxing, men undergoing more extreme cosmetic surgeries to fulfill their quest to increase their “sexual market value”
Professional Bridesmaids, it is what it sounds like (also, in the last issue we had “buddymooning,” and now we have this. Weddings are a weird world these days)
What To Watch For
Taste, the Talent of Tomorrow
In a world flooded with “creativity,” taste will become the ultimate differentiator.
In 2009, Ira Glass, the mind behind “This American Life,” spoke about the gap between our creative vision and its execution. He called it the “taste gap” – something every creative initially grapples with. Back then, the struggle was closing the gap between good taste and technical skill.
Today, the landscape has shifted.
AI tools, online tutorials, and tech advancements have made the technical aspects of creativity more accessible than ever. Anyone can learn to design, write, or code.
With everyone armed with the tools to create, the true differentiator lies in taste. It’s the ability to navigate the vast ocean of possibilities and make discerning choices.
Elizabeth Goodspeed of It’s Nice That highlights the critical role of taste in navigating the vast ocean of creative possibilities. Taste is the filter that helps us choose, combine, and elevate ideas into something truly impactful, unique, and ultimately marketable.
Think of it like this: taste is knowing when to revive a forgotten typeface, collaborate with a specific photographer, or step away from a trending color. It’s about understanding trends and strategically choosing when to lean in or out because, as anyone with foresight knows, overuse quickly leads to blandness.
In this creative landscape, taste becomes the defining skill.
Successful teams and individuals will be those who can cultivate, train, and celebrate this talent. It’s about nurturing an eye to discern the truly unique and impactful amidst the abundance of readily available options.
The ability to close the gap between good and great, as Ira Glass reminds us, takes time, dedication, and, above all, a commitment to keep creating, keep learning, and keep pushing ourselves to bridge that gap.
M&M&M&More
It’s burrito season in the US again, so let’s look back at The New New from around this time last year.
One Big Thing: Generative Brand Identities
The issue delved into the rise of generative AI in branding, where algorithms are used to create unique and dynamic brand identities. This technology promises to move beyond static logos and embrace a world of ever-evolving brand expressions, like Guilty by Association’s self-redrawing logo or Wieden+Kennedy’s playful identity generator.
A Round-Up of “M“s:
Making Food: The issue explored trends like “Burrito Season,” fungal food coloring, and pulse-enhanced foods incorporating beans into unexpected staples like white bread.
Materializing Movie Magic: From shape-shifting robots inspired by Terminator 2 to record-breaking biohybrid robots and microscopic tractor beams, the issue showcased the blurring lines between science fiction and reality.
Motoring On: The issue introduced the concept of “motonormativity,” our cultural bias towards cars, and discussed advancements like a fourth traffic light color for self-driving cars and self-cleaning touchscreens.
Mixing Ms: We got a glimpse into the future with Google’s music-making AI, MusicLM, plant-based building materials from Plantd Materials, and even nuclear-powered Bitcoin mining.
One Recommendation: The Future Normal
The issue concluded with a strong recommendation for the book “The Future Normal,” co-authored by
and . This book explores 30 key trends and over 100 innovations, offering insights and inspiration for navigating the coming decade.While the book is now a year old, it is still as fresh, relevant, and insightful as ever. If you haven’t grabbed a copy yet, then do it now.
Dive deeper into Issue 22 for a taste of the future.
The New New brings together the important and the irreverent across emerging experiences, culture-driven experiments, and scoops of perception.
Each month(ish), this is pulled together by me, Brent Turner, and published on LinkedIn, Substack, and my site.
Okay, off to renew my taste for group activities.
- B
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