Digital productivity monitoring
What’s trending? Employers are spying on their staff with and without their knowledge and consent, and ranking them according to their assumed productivity levels. Previously the domain of blue collar workers, this has now begun to spread to knowledge workers as well. A Digital.com survey of 1,250 US employers found that 60% of employers with […]
Climate colonialism
What’s trending? Climate colonialism or green colonialism refers to the Global North living at the ecological expense of the Global South for their green agendas. The actions of the already-developed and industrialised nations result in indigenous land takeovers, resource extraction and labour exploitation across the world. The Global North is the main driver of climate […]
Quiet quitting
What’s trending? There is a trend that has been making headlines recently – ‘quiet quitting’. It refers to the notion of doing the bare minimum at work so as to have a better work-life balance, and has become popular with young people in particular. It’s not about slacking off but it IS about not going […]
Subscription commerce
What’s trending? A new subscription model for motoring is gaining ground, where car companies offer a variety of high-end features as optional extras. For example, you can buy Tesla’s Full Self Driving package when you purchase the car, or pay for it as a monthly subscription, with regular updates. THE FSD offers advanced features plus […]
The Future Starts Now!
What are you going to do about it? A trend briefing from futurist, economist and trend analyst, Bronwyn Williams Pandemics, riots, protests, droughts, fires, floods, an economy in free-fall… the future feels more precarious than ever.To move forward into this chaos, we desperately need confidence in our own decision-making ability, and in order to do […]
Discovery Commerce
What’s trending? The products that consumers are purchasing online may not be what they set out to buy. It’s called discovery commerce and it’s similar to impulse buying in the world of traditional commerce, where consumers go shopping and stumble upon something they weren’t looking for but now desire. Online, retailers are proactive: they anticipate […]
Digital Identities
What is trending? Identity is beginning to enter the virtual realm as people seek to express themselves digitally. We are moving beyond a simple username to encompass additional identifying characteristics, as users look to be represented authentically. They are looking for inclusion, diversity and personalised options. ‘The Sims 4’ game, for example, has introduced a […]
The Post-Pandemic Retail Landscape
The past two years have proven to be a challenge for the retail industry – aspects of the retail sector have been turned upside down by lockdown restrictions, supply chain disruptions, shortage of materials, crime, technology and shifting customer mindset and values. Retail businesses currently find themselves in a perfect storm that allows them to […]
Global Load Shedding
What’s trending? Load shedding is not unique to South Africa, as many of us believe. A growing number of first world nations are also adopting measures to conserve energy. The German city of Hamburg has warned that it could be forced to ration hot water as the Russian energy crisis deepens. In the UK, Brits […]
The Human Touch
Fake News Above: Software that imitates facial expressions and voice. From dead celebrities resurrected using CGI, to puppet politicians manipulated using advanced facial and voice imitating software, to lifelike Facebook avatars for you and me (which means you could soon star in your own fake news video, without your knowledge), it’s harder than ever for […]