A resurgence in empathy inspires us to work with strangers
Implications - The sour economy and financial collapse have led to a resurgence in empathy. Individuals who might never have asked for help in a boom economy are now forced to do so. And 2008’s crowdsourced insight has evolved into 2009’s collaborative communities, who prefer to tell their story face to face.
Trend Themes
1. Collaborative Communities - In a time of economic uncertainty people are searching for more empathy, encouraging face-to-face interaction resulting in collaborative communities.
2. Guerrilla Social Bonding - With people becoming more disconnected in real life, guerrilla social bonding projects have emerged as a way to form connections with strangers.
3. Modern Community Building - There is a rising trend in the search for shared community resources, such as carpooling or shared composting sites, creating a more inclusive and thoughtful neighborhood connection.
Industry Implications
1. Digital Communities - Rising trends in collaborative communities and guerrilla social bonding is creating an opportunity for digital communities to overcome physical disconnection.
2. Sustainable Living - The rising trend in sharing resources and community-based initiatives creates a big opportunity for sustainable living industries to meet the needs of these new trends.
3. Eco-tech - Eco-tech industries are in a unique position to help build new infrastructure and offer new products and services to address the collaborative efforts within the community building movement.
