Life-Led Trends 2024

Our themes this year are linked by a common thread: what really makes us human.

In the new experiences we see in this report, there is a shift in discovering and exploring ‘what matters’ – from beyond functional, obvious benefits and purposes, towards life-enrichment in a deeper sense: purposes linked to higher aspects of humanity, transcending the mundane towards emotions that are ‘human rather than machine’: Joy, wonder, love, connection, and authentic fulfilment. Tapping into this for brands can be commercially powerful and a huge win-win between businesses and consumers. In a sense the ultimate in ‘Soft Power’.

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We hope you enjoy our thoughts on these interesting new ways to re-connect with our human-ness.

Time to Re-Wonder.

Having embraced the functional and convenience-driven benefits of new technologies, the world is ready to reconnect with the essence of ‘what we are'. We call this phenomenon re-wondering.

‘Wonder’ lives deeply inside us all; closely linked to our common and shared values, motivations and what makes life worth living.
Curiosity for the awesome is hard-wired into our nature. Wonder moves us in a very primal, emotional, instinctive way. It’s visceral, innate and universal. It inspires us to question the ‘known’, look for deeper meaning, and imagine hopeful futures - driving us on towards discovery, creativity and advancement.The quest for novel concepts, artistic creations, and technical innovations stems from a shared desire to discover the boundless potential of the universe and our place within it.

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2023 was a monumental year in the realm of creativity, where Generative AI invited anyone and everyone to produce novel ‘content’. From physical spaces to dreamscapes, we saw the fluid transcendence of traditional boundaries, allowing humanity to re-evaluate the established, elevating our interactions with our created experiences to the next level.
Trends themselves are inherently fluid; they feed off one another, develop new patterns in a complex interplay of factors. Wonder has been an ever-present factor underpinning creativity’s search for the transcendent. It’s time to start Re-wondering.

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Re-Wondering.

Re-wondering may be found in many different things and places, and recently often harnesses technologies including A.I. 

A.I. has a new role to play in helping us re-wonder as it transforms from efficiency to pleasure for pleasure's sake through new forms of art, music, and writing. A.I. can serve as a catalyst for wonder, pushing the boundaries of what we thought achievable and offering glimpses into a future where technology and human potential converge in awe-inspiring ways.

Science shows that this exquisite emotion can quiet our inner critic, reduce stress, loneliness, and physical distress, and bring a sense of expanded time, perspective, and connection.
Dacher keltner, professor of psychology, 2023

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Interspecies Cooperation at the Whitney museum, USA.

An AR installation of a hybrid creature called cento composed of mycelium, cephalopod, bird, and machine underscores the need for interspecies collaboration in tackling the climate issue, challenging humans' conventional isolation from the natural world.

There were approximately 1.07 billion AR device users at the end of 2022. This number is set to increase to 1.73 billion in 2024.
Statistica, 2023

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Regenesis.

Humans are endlessly inventive, but for too long, human creation was biased towards ‘the new’. With greenhouse gas emissions needing to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach carbon net zero by 2050, self-critical thinking, together with resourceful and innovative solutions, is key to our continued existence.
Brands that harness creative thinking to produce new value out of ‘waste’, not only achieve less impact but also create evolved ecosystems to be reinvested in and repurposed. In itself, this approach has the potential to stimulate wonder, admiration and respect in ways that ‘new new’ does not.

2023 analysis shows that 37% of companies are now committed to achieving net zero emissions.
Accenture, 2023

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Iconic Re-boot  at the Battersea Power Station, UK.

The iconic Battersea Power Station, abandoned to dereliction for decades is reborn. A vibrant, busy area has been created with event spaces, stores, and eateries, as well as spacious, open-plan offices and a number of sky villas arranged around a rooftop garden.

Compared to 2022, 55% of consumers repaired an item instead of buying a new one.
Deloitte, 2023

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We've examined a handful of trends and examples in our 2024 Trends report. Access the complete report for free below or reach out to us at hello@i-amonline.com.

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