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1-Page Summary of Microtrends

An Explosion of Choices – and Microtrends

The combination of freedom, material comfort and access to technology allows people in our society a broad range of choices. As a result, identifying sweeping trends is no longer possible because there are so many microtrends going on at the same time. Pinning down today’s myriad emerging “microtrends” requires engaging in “microtargeting,” the only way to unravel how one microtrend might spawn another opposing trend. Given that any group that reaches even 1% of the population can now become markedly influential using new technologies such as television, it is important not ignore these groups when trying to understand our society.

The proliferation of trends has major implications for society. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to unite people around a single idea or cause because they’re all over the place with their microtrends. However, this trend also creates personal freedom and threatens authoritarian regimes. Society is switching from a mass-produced economy (where everyone had the same opportunities) to an individualized one where you make your own choices about how you live and what you do every day based on your unique interests and desires. Here are some examples of those niche groups:

Relationship and Family Trends

Relationships are changing. Some women in search of marriage have become ‘sex-ratio singles’. That means that, according to research done by Ross Douthat from “The Atlantic Monthly”, they were unable to find a suitable man in their local demographic. The main reasons for this might be that men die sooner than women, and gay men outnumber lesbians (while lesbianism is more accepted socially). It’s also possible that some older women feel the need to date younger lovers, perhaps even becoming cougars who seek out fitter, fresher partners in order supplement their always present high sex drive with youthful energies. This data comes from my own conclusions after thorough analysis of demographic records alongside social behavior over time from previous years.

Office romances are a trend that has been increasing since 2003. There is also the commuter couple, who travels long distances for work or live apart much of the time. These separations have always existed in some jobs, such as military service, but they affect more dual-career couples now. Some commuters may also be Internet marrieds, couples who met online and tend to be urban, employed (high level), politically liberal and upscale. A growing number of transgendered people are challenging gender categories by choosing their sexual orientations.

As relationships change, so do families. “Late-Breaking Gays” are complicating family life because they realize their sexual orientation after marrying and having kids. They may become parents later in life or remarry with children from a previous marriage. Other kinds of families include the “Old New Dads,” who have more wisdom and money to spend on their second family but are also older fathers, as well as the “Pampering Parents,” who talk things out with their kids rather than punishing them. Some parents hire nannies that help them raise children while working on careers themselves, like the “Modern Mary Poppinses.” More Asian men are becoming caretakers for aging parents while women continue to work full time jobs, but few receive support from society or government programs for doing so. Finally there’s the increasing number of people that consider pets part of their family; these people go above and beyond what most pet owners do by spending lots of extra money on animals they see as extensions of their own family members instead of just pets