Laughing through the pain
While the last two years have been turbulent, for those with a contrarian mindset it's brought with it lessons to take life by the horns and live for every moment. “It's somebody who can acknowledge the dread and anxiety that affects us all. But who considers it imperative to have a good time nonetheless,” says writer and editor, Adrienne Matei. Known for their ‘joyful resilience’, people have been channeling their trauma into the absurd and funny.Trauma memes, for example, have proliferated online, with 88% of people citing that expressing  themselves creatively helped them feel less anxious during the pandemic. Shedding away ‘toxic positivity’ and building community, social media has become a safe haven for many people, a space that brands can tap into. “The more that a brand can really engage with that emotional truth at the center of our shared reality, the more it rings true, and doesn’t really feel quite as superficial,” says Matei on on the Expert Outlook podcast. Listen to the full interview with Adrienne here.

Home soft home
With the pandemic and homeworking making turning many of us into homebodies, it has also shifted the way we view design in our homes. From the glorious return of the foyer to Americans transforming their work spaces at the height of the pandemic, people have been taking a more socio-psychological approach to using design as a wellbeing tool. “We’ve shifted towards a more intrinsic approach,” says architectural and interior designer, Oliver Heath. And these approaches are part of something called ‘soft fascination’ which Oliver describes as that “gentle, calming sense we get when we see ripples moving in a pool of water, or leaves moving on a trail, or gentle grass swaying – it brings spaces to life”. Listen to the full interview with Oliver here.

Stranger than fiction
With the global phenomenon of Squid Games inspiring real world conversations about capitalism and the debt crisis, not only in South Korea but around the world, entertainment has become a mirror to real-life problems. TED speaker and managing director of the Norman Lear Center, Johanna Blakley, says this is something we’ll see more of in the future. “Gravitating toward entertainment that really engages with real social issues, is the smart play. Because what brands are basically trying to do is through a kind of parasitic relationship,” she says on the podcast. Yet, with all of the crises in our world, how do brands strike the right balance when it comes to entertainment? Blakely, believes that humor is the answer, especially as 39% of people experience less stress when anticipating jokes. “I think these days, what we're really thinking about in media and entertainment is the kind of humor that’s savvy, that reflects an understanding of human nature and our issues and our troubles, but isn't savage.” Listen to the full interview with Johanna here.

Beauty power
Is the beauty industry set for a revolution? According to global culture and trends expert, Shabana Ebrahem, it is. “2022, I believe, is going to be a year of momentum,” she says on the Expert Outlook podcast. From fans demanding more transparency when it comes to clean beauty to #DecodetheBias addressing bias in algorithms, the beauty and wellness industry is due for a shake up. With 62% of Gen Zers saying that brands over edit images and 70% preferring brand content when it isn’t picture perfect, the stringent ideals of what beauty means for all genders is seeing a big shift. “There's a kind of a fusion of renaissance and 60s civil liberties, really championing humanist and earthly ideals,” says Ebrahem. “And people are consciously recrafting the beauty landscape so that it aligns with the betterment of people and planet in every single way.” Listen to the full interview with Shabana here.

The crypto multiverse
From Jimmy Fallon and Paris Hilton discussing Bored Apes NFTs on The Tonight Show to Mark Zuckerberg’s venture into the metaverse, does our future lie in a digital multiverse? We spoke to game developer, John Wolff, about what the development of blockchains and NFTs means for brands wanting to deliver value through technology. Brands such as Bored Ape Yacht Club have surpassed the $1 billion valuation mark, and Kings of Leon and Balmain have jumped on the cryptocurrency scene. While 50% of Gen Zers, Yers, and Xers are interested in buying a digital skin, avatar, and/or NFT in 2022, countries like Singapore are increasingly sceptical of the metaverse. “NFTs are 2D objects and people think that all it is is just this personality project that defines your identity and gets you access into like VIP clubs,” says Wolff. ”It's so much more than that.” Listen to the full interview with John here.

Flexible financial futures
With US citizens urging President Biden to step up to his student debt pledge and tackle the mounting housing crisis, people’s finances are facing unprecedented challenges. Among Gen Zers, 62% say they’re ready to rebuild society from the ground up, signaling that people are willing to take things into their own hands. “What I think we're gonna see more and more of is a scepticism towards the Challenger banks, and a sense of whether some of these new banks or new companies that are selling us debt just like the old fashioned financial services industry wrapped up in millennial pink,” says finance expert, Laura Whateley. As people take steps to disrupt the financial system, like the r/WallStreetBets against Gamestop causing a ‘rage against the financial machine’, people will turn to their community for support. “We're going to see the revival of credit unions of people, shunning profit making businesses,” says Wheatley. Listen to the full interview with Laura here.

Whether you want more intel on trauma memes or want to understand what lies ahead for cryptocurrency, the Expert Outlook 2022 podcast covers the key consumer behaviors to watch in the coming year. These are mapped across our three key mindsets; The Systems Sceptic, The Culture Steward, and The Contrarian.

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