Over the past few months, a variety of data has surfaced regarding a particular trend reversal. Companies are offering traditional communication like “snail mail” as a service. Last summer, Snail My Email introduced a global art project. 10,457 handwritten letters were penned by 234 volunteers from email submissions around the world. Another organization, Paperfinger, provides calligraphy services to enhance traditional love notes. Quarterly Co. sends participants physical objects along with letters from key tastemakers as a monthly “show and tell”.

Futurists would be remiss to discount nostalgia in alternative scenario generation. Yet, as far as I know, future studies does not have a formal method to forecast future areas of nostalgia.

The power of the “snail mail” countertrend isn’t in the data points. Instead, the idea of a resurgence in past conceptions can be used as an extended metaphor for enhancing future scenario sets. Electronic communication can quite possibly replace other methods of future communications. But what is the post-digital age? Why would some groups want to go back to a landscape dominated by “digital” media?

Using current countertrends to construct future ones could be a powerful tool to generate a remarkable scenario set. There are values and traditions future societies will yearn for from the past.

What role should nostalgia play in scenario development? How can futurists systematically generate a scenario set where feelings of nostalgia resonate with a particular audience? Is there an approach where participants could be excited by the future while longing for a past that does not yet exist?

Jim Dator writes about the idea of “aiglatson” or nostalgia spelled backwards. Dator believes it is critical for futurists to revere the future; without being disrespectful to the past. Futures provides society with narratives that bring them into new future worlds. Part of these worlds should include remembering a past that has yet to be created.

Yes, this “run-of the mill” commercial sex event is sponsored by Anheuser-Busch. Bunsen and Colfax tower in heels that resemble Budweiser cans and the truck sells sex toys branded with the red and white Budweiser logo. the snacks and beverages served are more X-rated than G-rated. Last quarter, Budweiser, in conjunction with 21Sextury Films, discreetly created their own pornography flick. The hour-long segment depicted spontaneous ways that beverages could be incorporated into bedroom play. Anheuser-Busch has managed to get where their competitors aren’t- in their customers sex lives*” (Empel, Emily. “(XXX)potential Impact: The Future of the Commercial Sex Industry in 2030.”The Monoa Journal of Fried and Half-fried Ideas (about the Future) 13 (2011)). 

I’m excited to have my forecast on the future of the commercial sex industry published in the newly relaunched “Monoa Journal of Fried and Half-Fried Ideas (about the future)”. This futures based journal out of the University of Hawaii is a student-run, peer-reviewed journal that began in the 90′s. After a brief hiatus, Fried is back and featuring a delectable menu full of quirky futures work.

Check out my article via Fried Journal (Entree XXX on 5 web pages) or download the full .pdf version (XXX)potential Impact: The Future of the Commercial Sex Industry 2030. The next submissions date is February 1st!

*Note: scenario described is a fictional forecast set in the year 2030. These events have not yet occurred.

This week, I attended a Methods Seminar taught by Dr. Wendy Schultz. Though I’ve taken courses on futures methodologies, Wendy’s presentation was awesome in terms of evaluating methods across the board. The seminar exposed students to five schools of futures thought including morphological analysis, archetype narration and causal layered analysis.

Afterwards, I was left with the thought: how can we present the “anti” 2×2 models in a compelling way to organizations? I’ve yet to hear of most clients begging for causal layered analysis. When compared to the 2×2 matrix, futurists agree that other methods offer a more comprehensive narrative of the alternative futures landscape. But we forget our language. We are a cult where the code words are scenario, uncertainty and emerging issues. Our clients speak revenue, profit and predictability. Business and futures need to develop a common language in which advanced foresight becomes an integral and actionable piece of the strategy puzzle.

Of course, I’m sure a good many futurists are secretly packaging their products. My plea: publish a book Peter Schwartz-style and help a futurist out! Steve Jobs proved it’s not about just your offerings but more how you package them. We are currently the boutique diamond designers. We must start being brands. We need to be iconic.

How Kinky is America According to Online Dating Profiles?

In 2009, 40 million Americans, or 40% of US singles, participated in online dating. That same year the industry totaled $1.049 billion, with even larger revenue than the more established pornography sector. Growth is expected to continue at around 10% annually.

Dating sites provide value by hooking users up with their ideal match. Success is measured in “relationships” or how many users leave with “a ring on it”. But can the online and mobile dating sectors continue to profit after users find love?

New relationship management start-ups promise to do just that. Trendcentral recently highlighted three sites that support couples as they build intimacy within their relationships. Kahnoodle designed a dashboard to track improvement areas for couples. TheIceBreak.com suggests questions to promote more meaningful and profound communication between partners. And Tokii, “the first relationship management platform”, uses gaming technologies to help enhance romance.

Sites like OkCupid or Match.com have yet to integrate relationship management within their value proposition. It is very possible that these sites will utilize AI capabilities to build comprehensive long-term relationship programs. Loyal users would be connected to a particular dating site longer than their most serious relationship! As sites begin to shift towards continuous relationship improvement, will our romantic relationships become richer as a result?

Image via Fast Co. Design.

While writing her PhD, one of my colleagues posed key questions via Twitter. By building a network of mentor-like individuals, she got answers instantly and across subject matter experts.  Even superstars like marketing guru Seth Godin are forgoing traditional personalized coaching as a revenue stream. Godin hosted a one-day workshop in his home designed to offer value through shared experience. The world is more complex than ever and it is helpful to build interdisciplinary skills and networks.

Creating a collective mentorship network is, in many ways, more difficult than finding one traditional mentor. It requires not only making an effort to reach out to a variety of people, but it is also only successful if your own identity (web and otherwise) is fluid across many channels. Maybe your potential mentor is prolific on Twitter  and LinkedIn. Perhaps, Facebook or Google+ are more their style. And, maybe they haven’t even gone digital and are active in trade associations, traditional conferences and networking events. The more of these places you are, the more your network has the potential to expand. In a world of decreased individualism and increased collectivism, the outliers get in. Start a discussion. Be the person to bring up the question that 95% of “followers” never thought to ask.

Image via Media Psychology Review.

This morning I watched an intriguing debate on the BBC on “Human Trafficking”. Laura Agustin (known as the “Naked Anthropologist”) voiced dissent on a panel as she urged policy makers not to overgeneralize the condition of migrant workers worldwide. In particular, Agustin stated that not all migrant workers are forced unwillingly into working abroad. Moreover, definitions of smuggling and trafficking must be considered before characterizing all migrants as victims.

Like-minded individuals within the area of trafficking advocate for universal policies regarding migrant workers. Agustin is a  refreshing voice working on the fringe towards a future where a myriad of voices are considered before shaping protocol. Contrary to the celebrities present at this debate like Ashton Kutcher or Mira Sorvino, Agustin does not sermonize the plight of migrants. Instead, she addresses key assumptions, or misperceptions, that social advocates have about migrants worldwide. In many ways, Agustin’s viewpoint could drastically change not only the discussion about migrant work, but also how policy is shaped within this domain in the future.

How can futurists consider a range of human conditions without playing into popular stereotypes of marginalized human populations?

I saw Tabloid a few weeks ago and the documentary’s subject, Joyce McKinney, is still top of mind. Errol Morris’s portrayal of McKinney conveys images of past spinsters like Miss Havisham or Grey Garden’s Little Edie. All three characters are exploited for memories that left them behind. They are anachronistic creatures in a developing world.

In Tabloid, Joyce McKinney, a once beautiful pageant queen, narrates her tale of true love and how it spiraled out of control. This is an obsessive (yet good-natured) kidnapping story. It begins when her lover, Kirk Anderson, leaves for London unexpectedly to pursue Mormon mission work. Joyce, lovestruck and desperate, ropes two friends into a quest to recover the brainwashed Kirk. Forcing him to into a car, Joyce drives Kirk to the countryside. Her side of the story: they had “non-stop sex” for three days. Kirk alleged that Joyce had kidnapped and raped him. The “Mangled Mormon” trial played out in the British tabloids for years after.

Morris’s Joyce McKinney is hauntingly kooky and diabolical. While many other men have desperately loved her, Joyce has resolved to live alone with her six cloned puppies. In Great Expectations, Miss Havisham tells Pip, “I’ll tell you what real love is. It is blind devotion, unquestioning self humiliation, utter submission, trust and belief against yourself and against the world, giving up your whole heart and soul to the smiter–as I did”.

Miss Havisham is the jilted bride existing among her rotting wedding decor. Joyce McKinney is that same abandoned bride, now living out of a truck. It brims with laundry baskets full of tabloids that remind her of lost love. To both women, their former lovers represent the pinnacle of life. Morris has taken Joyce’s sad story and cut together a film that despite being shameful to watch, you cannot overt your eyes from.

So, what does the future hold for the “spinster”? As US women marry later and live longer, society’s view of older, single women will be challenged. Dating sites and community-based living arrangements already provide alternatives to a traditional life of loneliness. These single, older women women will make up a large portion of society with a disposable income. In that case, will the media and subsequently pop culture reinvent the portrayal of the spinster? Is an alternative scenario one of Re-Sexed Spinsters versus Sexless Spinsters?

The name was imagined after a weekend trip to Melbourne with friends Rachel and Christina. Graffiti art sparked our interest. The city built a personality dependent on the art of underground. One particular artist, Bansky, was now an obsession. Banksy is an artist who is creating a social movement within the artistic community while remaining largely unknown. We sat around a cafe table and brainstormed Banksy-based-domain-names for hours. Two words stood out: local and rat. Our online existence was thereby dedicated to the master of compelling social commentary.

By our definition, a local rat is someone who is constantly monitoring the global pulse. When applied to future studies, a local rat studies areas that are overlooked and scours books, magazines, and the interwebs to discover uncommon areas that could influence the future.

With the permission of my friends (and not without promised shout outs) I have recycled our name for my new obsession- giving you the down and dirty on future trends and scenarios. While I hope to post a few cool things here and there, I really am looking to my readers to create an active dialouge about the future. Please share your thoughts, comments, and personal inspiration on the discussion boards.

How do you prepare for changes in the future? Do you gauge possibilities through speaking with family and friends? Read self-help books? Maybe you have your goals scribbled on scrap paper and saved in a drawer? The future is a perplexing subject. On one hand you have a very good idea of where you aspire to end up. But life is at times (or even most times), uncertain. So, the path you stress over outlining is rarely straightforward, sometimes nerve wrenching, and always an adventure.

There is a profession that has one sole priority- the study of the future. No, I’m not talking about psychics, crystal balls, or prediction models. Instead, let me introduce the discipline of future studies. An ever-growing field, future studies adds value to organizations (and individuals) by helping them think about the long-term future. This blog is a way for me to share my excitement and background in future studies. As my professor Dr. Bishop says, “We place an emphasis on studying the past, why shouldn’t we do the same for the future?”