TrendWatching | MakeShift

Edition #33 | Your bi-weekly inspiration fix • 11 – 24 April 2024

INNOVATION

🇪🇪 Urban planner and 37 kids reimagine the classic playmat as a human-centric city

Iconic children's toys like city playmats have long shaped young minds to view car-centric urban environments as the norm. A project by Bolt aims to reimagine this formative play experience through a more human-oriented lens. The Little Big Playmat swaps out the typical overabundance of roads and parking for ample green spaces, accessible public transit, bike lanes and shared mobility hubs. Developed by a 'think tank' of kids aged 5–13 alongside urban planner… read more

MakeShift is TrendWatching's free bi-weekly trend publication, bringing you the insights and innovations that will inspire you to create with meaning ❤️

Want MakeShift in your inbox? Subscribe now and join 100,000+ other trend enthusiasts!

Talk to us

Be sure to ping our editor, Caitlin, if you're working on something we should feature on MakeShift.

INNOVATION

🇧🇷 Anti-Racist Handbag empowers Black Brazilians to seek justice

A new accessory is taking a stand against the racism and discrimination that Black Brazilians routinely face while shopping, including bag checks. Inside the Anti-Racist Handbag, a label displays the text of Law… read more

INNOVATION

🇨🇭🇳🇱 An AI-powered pebble, TERRA is designed for mindful and screen-free wandering

TERRA is an unusual new navigational device. Shaped like a pebble and sized to fit snugly in one hand, it doesn't feature a screen, just a minimal visual interface showing either a compass arrow or… read more

INNOVATION

🇺🇸 Crying as self-care? NYC's Sob Parlour creates dedicated spaces to weep and bawl

In a novel approach to mental wellbeing, Sob Parlour hosts dedicated spaces in New York City where people can come to intentionally cry. Currently organized as pop-ups, the 'SobSuites' are comfortable, private… read more

TREND

Trading caps and gowns for hard hats, Gen Z embraces blue-collar careers

As tuition has soared, so has skepticism about a college degree's return on investment, prompting Americans in their late teens and early twenties to increasingly opt for vocational training in fields like plumbing and welding. The shift is also fueled by higher starting salaries and the promise of job security in an economy where AI threatens white-collar jobs, but is improving safety and efficiency for blue-collar workers.

Financial factors aren't the only driving forces, however. Raised in fully digital environments — culminating in screen-only classes during the pandemic — many young trainees appreciate the hands-on, tangible nature of repairing a leaky pipe or retrofitting an HVAC system. Tanner Burgess, a 20-year-old who recently graduated from a nine-month welding program, told the Wall Street Journal: "It feels good at the end of the day, I'm physically doing something and there's a sense of completion."

Find out how brands are helping consumers become FUTURE PROOFED

INSIGHT

In China, emerging cottage industry uses generative AI to replicate deceased relatives

China is witnessing a rise in demand for AI services that can create digital replicas of loved ones who have passed away, including the opportunity to interact with them. Rapid advancements in generative AI enable an emerging cottage industry to render images, audio and video resembling the deceased. NextShark reports that basic options start around USD 13 and premium packages with high interactivity can cost over USD 1,300.

The new services are sparking mixed reactions. Some bereaved families view them as a means of emotional solace and closure, while others criticize them as unethical distortions of reality that exploit people's grief. Meanwhile, legal experts raise privacy concerns over unauthorized use of individuals' likenesses and question commercial practices around securing user data. As public discourse shapes ethical boundaries, divergent perspectives reflect the complex challenges that increasingly sophisticated generative AI present.

THOUGHT STARTER

E-waste growing 5x faster than recycling

According to the UN's latest Global E-Waste Monitor, a staggering 62 million metric tons of electronic waste was generated in 2022 — enough to fill a line of trucks encircling the equator. Just 22% was responsibly recycled.

INSIGHT

Could cinemas reinvent themselves with cinema-therapy?

Shared cinematic screenings offer strong, emotive experiences that have been shown to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and loneliness. One UK-based charity, MediCinema, already embraces these benefits and has offered screenings to 16,124 patients in UK hospitals through 2023.

While MediCinema focuses on hospital environments, the therapeutic benefits of movie-going could be spotlighted by actual movie theaters, too. Cinema attendance is struggling to rebound to pre-pandemic levels. Underscoring its positive impacts beyond entertainment provides a novel reason for people to swap streaming at home for a night at their local theater. Given cinema's potential as a powerful media channel for enhancing mental health, how can your brand leverage that collective experience to foster deeper connections with your audience and reinforce your commitment to their wellbeing?

Take a deeper dive into the AGE OF HEALING

INSIGHT

Global audiences turn to Chinese social media for blunt beauty advice

People are flocking to Chinese platform Xiaohongshu for honest feedback on their physical appearance. After advice seekers post selfies with the words 听劝 (ting quan, or ‘listen to advice’), other users share their input, such as ‘make your eyebrows and hair the same color.’ International users have signed up to Xiaohongshu in droves, and the #tingquan hashtag has garnered over 500 million views.

In Asia, when it comes to looks, many people still hold on to rigid beauty standards; for Chinese consumers entrenched in ‘face’ culture, presenting the best version of yourself is viewed as a matter of self-respect. So, giving blunt yet constructive grooming and styling advice is considered helpful, not offensive. Consumers know when other people (and brands!) sugarcoat the truth. Could a dose of helpful yet unreserved candor be a refreshing way for your brand to connect with new and existing audiences…?

INNOVATION

🇳🇱 Nine major brands promise to cut meat from half of their recipes

Those easy back-of-the-box recipes? Nine of the most familiar brands in Dutch supermarkets have agreed to make half of the meals on their product packaging vegetarian or vegan at the urging of… read more

INNOVATION

🇳🇱 Fairphone debuts world's most repairable earbuds

Fairphone, the pioneering sustainable electronics brand, has once again raised the bar for prioritizing product lifespan with the launch of its new Fairbuds. Billed as ... read more

Talk to us

Be sure to ping our editor, Caitlin, if you're working on something we should feature on MakeShift.

Free Webinar | AI x New Consumer Expectations

Join us on