The META Trending Trends: 02021

An Analysis of 30+ Global Trend Forecasts → 19 Most Reported Social Shifts

“New Norms” & Our Preferred Futures
02021’s Prologue

The fourth annual META Trend Report synthesizes 500+ trends from 30+ reports, ranking the 19 most frequently reported cultural trends for 2021.

Reports come from: Accenture & Fjord, Deloitte Insights Tech, Deloitte Insights Marketing, Dentsu Facebook IQ, Faith Popcorn, Falcon, Ford, Foresight Factory, Forrester, Future Laboratory, Frog, Gartner, Google, GWI, Hubspot, JWT, Kantar, Ketchum, Mintel, Ogilvy Consulting, Pinterest, Spacecadet, Trend Hunter, Trend Watching, We Are Social, WGSN, WEF, Zebra IQ, and more. (Good luck tracking these down with link rot.)

Why? A meta-analysis increases our “sample size” of trends, accounting for author bias. We can calculate reliability as a proxy for accuracy to confidently align on what’s most influential. Further, “Curation is not the new content.” Synthesis is.

On January 23rd 2020, I prefaced last year’s report:

“Two catalytic events will transpire over the next year, which will re-model culture as we know it, however, not one report acknowledged them: The 2020 Presidential Outcome and The U.S.’ Next Recession. Both will catastrophically impact all consumers (their values, interests, and purchasing decisions) as well as all business verticals. [...]

Culture moves on even if we’re not ready.”

I couldn’t be less pleased to be right.

Beyond accelerating existing trends, COVID-19 radically concussed the economy, spiraling us into a recession. But mass unemployment and our new priorities didn’t just deviate purchasing decisions, they upended something far more poignant: habit and safety. This financial and existential cost is a human cost. It flipped on the burner awaiting a flame. As a global phenomenon, COVID-19’s silver lining was an opportunity for unity. We failed miserably. Over the course of the year, public fury and horror somehow upstaged a pandemic.

Secondly, President Biden’s victory was a relief for many, but it didn’t come without fallout. The disenfranchised or simply moronic — pick your poison — challenged democracy, the bedrock of culture. When the once sacrosanct Capitol gets turned into a Museum of Ice Cream, it’s hard to believe we’re seeing straight. We are. And this surreality will be scarring.

2020’s trauma should not be overlooked. Throughout 2021, while it may appear as if we’re getting back into routine, internal normalcy is far gone. Beyond health and finances, another recovery is only just beginning. As an individual or organization, which part of the recovery are you helping with?

Last year I also noted, pessimistically, many of these cultural trends feel synthetic — adages to market marketers. We’ve been manifesting VR-paradise for 30 years... it’s not happening in the next 365 days. But in 2021, contextual to true chaos, we face a unique moment. There’s another opportunity to seize this outlined optimistic energy, no matter how imaginative, and channel it toward truly preferred futures.

What we’re looking at here with trends are not established nouns, but malleable verbs.

After all, we’re in control of what we want to see.

The 19 02021 META Trends

01. Keyboard Space 🌐

Distance is a click — online areas strip intimacy yet add complexity

Keywords: gaming, Metaverses, TikTok duets, Animal Crossing, Zoom

Virtual Mall — Trend Hunter
Virtual Bar — Trend Hunter
Virtual Marketplace — Trend Hunter
Virtual Sanctuaries — Future Laboratory
Virtual Crowds — Trend Hunter
Virtual Concierges — Trend Watching
Virtually Grounded — Trend Watching
Virtual-First HQs — JWT
The Virtual Experience Economy — Dentsu
Digital Meets Physical — Deloitte Insights
Digital Presence — Spacecadet
Digital Party — Trend Watching
Zoom Room — Spacecadet
Platforms Unbound — We Are Social
Gen Z’s Third Places — Zebra IQ
In-Game Experience — Trend Hunter
New Gaming Frontiers — JWT
Blurred Gaming — Trend Watching
The Gaming Multiverse — JWT
In-Game Concert — Trend Hunter
Cross Channel Connections — Spacecadet
Niche Platforms — Falcon
Spatial Computing — WEF
Cyber Ceremony — Spacecadet
Reality Check — Frog
Mixed Reality Broadcast — Spacecadet
Presence-Free Living — Foresight Factory
Remote Monitoring — Trend Hunter

Drivers: tethering, social craves, gaming norms, serendipity
From: Virtual identities
To: Virtual spaces to welcome them
Engage: Acting as a host, not just a platform
+ Deep Dive: Online Avatars

02. Tranquil Web 😌

The “In this together” cliché trumpets open, supportive affiliations

Keywords: co-own, civil, economics of sharing, altruistic community

Engineering Companionship — JWT
Engineering Companionship — Spacecadet
Open-Source Creativity — We Are Social
Cultivate Creation — Zebra IQ
Co-Media — Spacecadet
Co-Ownership — Spacecadet
Deep Ownership — Future Laboratory
Subscription Sharing — Trend Hunter
Human IPO — Spacecadet
Social Sharing Economy — Mintel
Not-So-Furry Friends — Pinterest
Robot Pets — WGSN
Pets as Family — Mintel
Brandcare — Trend Watching
The Company You Keep — Ford
CodeCompanions — Faith Popcorn
Neighborgood — Faith Popcorn
Kindness Magic — GWI
Un-Isolated Senior — Trend Hunter
Reliable Idols — We Are Social
P2P Support — Trend Hunter
Zoom Play — Spacecadet

Drivers: friend recession, singles, isolation, stranger norms
From: Platforms requesting civility
To: Systems designed for harmony
Engage: Incentivizing selflessness and constructive convos
+ Deep Dive: Absurdist Facebook Groups

03. Soft Activism 🌎

Corps step up and tech invites all, rebranding advocacy

Keywords: resource curation, slideshows, protest safety, inclusion

Brand Activism — Falcon
Eco-Ambitious Brands — Future Laboratory
Unconventional Brand Actions — JWT
Actions Over Performative Gestures — Zebra IQ
See Through Brand Virtue Signaling — Google
Ethical Scoreboard — JWT
From Activism to Action — Kantar
Awareness Becomes Action — Facebook
The Urgency of Allyship — Dentsu
DEI Tech — Deloitte Insights
Protest Security — Trend Hunter
Data for Good — GWI
Mixed Reality Charity — Trend Hunter
Charity Skin — Trend Hunter
Activism Gaming — Future Lab
Protest Joy — Mintel
Mini Movements — Spacecadet
CSR as Key Metric — Mintel
Fun-draising — Spacecadet
Built to Flourish — Deloitte Insights
Retrospective Resolution — Foresight Factory
Systemic Justice — Trend Watching
Practical Advocacy — We Are Social

Drivers: injustices, outrage for change, pressure to participate
From: “Someone, do something”
To: “Guess we have to do it ourselves”
Engage: Helping people, help themselves — brand as elected official
+ Deep Dive: Brands as Civil Servants

04. Mindfulness Incorporated 🙏🏼

Past individual practice, wellness is integrated into public experiences

Keywords: mindful tech, digital healthcare, accessibility

Big Tech Health — Spacecadet
Healthy Habitats — Foresight Factory
Wellness Architecture — JWT
Designed for Wellbeing — Trend Watching
Social Wellness — Foresight Factory
UX Priority — Google
Low-Impact Interfaces — Future Laboratory
Interaction Wanderlust — Accenture/Fjord
Lockdown Blues — GWI
Pandemic Loneliness — Trend Hunter
Tween Connect — Trend Hunter
Isolated Dating — Trend Hunter
Optimistic Futures — JWT
New Digital Communities — JWT
Digital Spas — JWT
Digital Nutrition — JWT
Mental Health Benefit — Mintel
Alt Therapies — Mintel
Disconnect From Tech — Mintel
Calmtainment — JWT
Parental Support — Trend Hunter
Mindsumers — Trend Watching
Machine-Mind — Faith Popcorn

Drivers: anxiety, techlash, screen dependency, obsessive wellness
From: Solo initiative
To: Communal service
Engage: Prioritize peace of mind at every touchpoint or interaction
+ Deep Dive: Broken Dating Apps

05. Commerce Rerouted 🛒

Traditional systems are upended: stores are warehouses and QVC is back

Keywords: social, live shopping, pop-up, dark store, local support

End of E-Commerce — Ogilvy Consulting
Social Commerce — Falcon
Social Commerce — Ketchum
Social Shopping — Hupspot
Shop Streaming — Spacecadet
Live Commerce — JWT
Live E-Commerce — Trend Hunter
Live-Streamed E-Commerce — Google
Unmaned Stores — Mintel
Dark Stores — JWT
Dark Stores — Trend Hunter
Digital Storefront — GWI
Supply Unchained — Deloitte Insights
Hybrid Shopping — Facebook
Liquid Infrastructure — Accenture/Fjord
Localised Logistics — Future Laboratory
Augmented Restaurants — Future Laboratory
Augmented Retail — Future Laboratory
The New Superstore — JWT
Human Contact-less — Dentsu
Grocery Pop-Up — Trend Hunter
Retail Pivot — Trend Hunter
Delivery Only — Trend Hunter

Drivers: impacted business: staff, rent, eCommerce comfort, novelty
From: Brick-and-mortar as entertainment
To: Brick-and-mortar as outpost
Engage: Experiment by delivering SKUs faster so “package” is moot

06. Green Green ♻️

Sustainability is not just noble, but lucrative for public buy-in

Keywords: ethical consumption, loyalty, purpose, 20XX goals

Eco-Ambitious Brands — Future Lab
Planet Over Profit — Mintel
Sustaining Sustainability — Ford
Extra-Mile Sustainability — Trend Watching
Earth Positive — Trend Watching
Carbon Labeling — Trend Watching
Future-Proof Packaging — Future Lab
War on Waste — Foresight Factory
Acclimatise Now — Foresight Factory
Government Water — Mintel
Transcycling — Trend Watching
Green By Numbers — Trend Watching
Green Hydrogen — WEF

Drivers: carbon emissions, plastics, food waste, populations
From: Pledges for tomorrow
To: Sacrifices for tomorrow
Engage: Don’t make people pick between themselves and the world

07. Household Iconoclasm 🏠

‘Space’ is skewed — claustrophobic, home and travel become relative

Keywords: nomad, local, van life, drive-thru, freedom

Collective Displacement — Accenture/Fjord
No Place Like Home — GWI
Home Ownership Out of Reach — Mintel
Local Allure — Foresight Factory
Zoom Towns — Spacecadet
Getaway Car — Pinterest
Nomad Normal — Pinterest
World Play — Pinterest
Neighborhood Tourism — Future Laboratory
Purposeful Travel — Mintel
Scattered Schools — Future Laboratory
Smarthomeboat — Spacecadet

Drivers: tethering, impacted personal finances, health concerns
From: Familiarity and comfort
To: Redundancy and unrest
Engage: Kindle “home” or “neighborhood” so no one feels alone

08. Reworking Work 💼

The work-life binary is a mirage, WFH eradicates boundaries

Keywords: mental health, manufactured commute, surveillance

Work-Life Intertwine — Mintel
All Work and No Play — GWI
Reworking the Workplace — Future Laboratory
Rebooting the Digital Workplace — Deloitte Insights
At-Home Empires — JWT
Workplace AI — Forrester
Employee Experience — Ogilvy Consulting
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This — Accenture/Fjord
Leadership & Hiring — Forrester
Remote Control — Frog
Record Work Conversations Drive Change — Gartner
More Door — Pinterest

Drivers: burnout, family, AI and automation augmentation
From: Thirsty for hustle-porn
To: Hungry for off-time
Engage: Draw the line or support workers who draw it

09. Escape to Forget 🛸

Evading this nightmarish reality is the goal — even for just an hour

Keywords: gaming, binging, virtual tourism, VR, daydream, fantasy

Escapism — Forrester
Escapism & Play — Mintel
Time to Escape — Ford
No Travel Tourism — Spacecadet
Gamescape Travel — JWT
Gaming Going Mainstream — Ketchum
Imagination Travel — Future Laboratory
AR VR Travel — Mintel
Fantastical Fun — Foresight Factory
Joy of Reading — Facebook
Hypothetical Sabbatical — Pinterest

Drivers: pandemic anxieties, unemployment, restrictions, boredom
From: Escape as a want
To: Escape as a need
Engage: Offer momentary respite or a shoulder or a silver lining
+ Deep Dive: COVID Nostalgia

10. Dirty-Hand DIY 🛠️

With time on our hands, we put them to work, busying our minds

Keywords: puzzles, home improvement, art, hobbies, future planning

DIY Innovation — Accenture/Fjord
DIY Dressing — Future Laboratory
Hardworking Homes — Facebook
Pandemic Homemaking — Trend Hunter
Epic Charcuterie — Pinterest
You’re the Top Chef — Pinterest
Grow Your Own — Facebook
Planning Prowess — Foresight Factory
Little Moments of Big Love — Pinterest

Drivers: boredom, desire for progress, control, and accomplishment
From: Scrolling and IKEA discounts
To: Sewing and IKEA effects
Engage: Construct opportunities for craft and ownership
+ Deep Dive: The Creator Economy

11. Synthetic Senses 🧪

Meat was just the beginning — tastes and smells are engineered to emulate

Keywords: artificial, Impossible, lab grown, simulation, substitute

Synthetic Society — Foresight Factory
Synthetic Ingredients — Mintel
AI Smell — Spacecadet
Artificial Taste — Spacecadet
Molecular Sips — WGSN
Plant-ed — Trend Watching
Lab to Table — Trend Watching
Future-Proof Ingredients — JWT
Chickenless Eggs — WGSN

Drivers: sustainability, diets, STEM dev, hungry populations
From: GMO rejection
To: GMO acceptance
Engage: Invest in and play the long game of innovation

12. Public-Feedback Loops 🗳️

Consumer collaboration is required for their buy-in — do as they say

Keywords: accountability, CSR, loyalty, community, ethics, mission

The Stakeholder Consumer — Foresight Factory
Latchkey Loyalty — Foresight Factory
A Two-Way Street — Deloitte Insights
Branding Together — JWT
Consumer Brand Ethics — Mintel
Brand Experience Becomes Principled — Ogilvy Consulting
Systemic CSR — Trend Hunter
Empathy Challenge — Accenture/Fjord
Know Thyself — Deloitte Insights

Drivers: distrust, disenfranchisement, raised expectations
From: Participation as performative
To: Cooperation as compulsory
Engage: Relinquish control and invite the outside in to co-create

13. Truth Wars 🗯️

Deception, fraud and realities are at tension with a single truth

Keywords: mis/disinfo, deep-fakes, personal and national security

Radical Responsibility — Frog
Radical Transparency — Mintel
Zero Trust — Deloitte Insights
Trust — Deloitte Insights
Upending Deepfakes — JWT
War on Bots + Misinformation — Ketchum
Fake News As A Service — Spacecadet
Genuinfluencers — WGSN
Truth Trippng — Faith Popcorn

Drivers: distrust, manipulation, echo-chambers, conspiracies
From: Splintering of truths
To: Fighting for truths
Engage: Signal credibility and consistency — fact is meaningless
+ Deep Dive: Virtual Influencers

14. raw, unfilterd 🖍️

We’ll do it live! Jig’s up: filters = fake, so the real & lo-fi now cut through

Keywords: at-home, glow-down, live, unscripted, Finsta, “real”

The Real We — Dentsu
Photoshop Backlash — Mintel
Intentionally Messy — Zebra IQ
Casual Culture — Facebook
Value Over Quality — Hubspot
Power of Now — Foresight Factory
Go Live — Hubstpot
Ephemeral Content — Falcon

Drivers: excessive social gloating, distrust, deception, techlash
From: Polished feats for clout
To: Serendipitous honesty for clout
Engage: Reveal, half bake it, and welcome vulnerabilities
+ Deep Dive: Real-Stakes Video

15. Neu Edu 🎓

New approaches to learning entertain, stimulate and come outside boxes

Keywords: at-home learning, YouTube education, modern family

Beyond the Textbook — Facebook
Edu-play-tion — Future Laboratory
Brand Academy — JWT
Ambient Learning — Trend Watching
Bite Sized Learning — Spacecadet
Save a Parent, Save the Planet — Pinterest
Lessons in Mindfulness — Pinterest

Drivers: price, necessity debates, parental participation, screens
From: School’s way
To: Home’s way
Engage: Question the status-quo, “What are the better ways?”

16. Clean Wheels 🚲

Mass transportation is hit, mobility is getting smaller and greener

Keywords: electric, eco-travel, roller skates, scooter, bike, walk

Old Wheels New Tricks — Facebook
Traffic Detour — Ford
Green Awakening — GWI
Electric Aviation — WEF
Decarbonized Aviation — JWT
E-Transport — Trend Hunter
Safe Micromobility — Trend Hunter

Drivers: environmentalism, restricted and local travel, health
From: Crowded streets as restriction
To: Empty streets as opportunity
Engage: Think local and simple — addition through subtraction

17. Engineered Farming 🌱

Innovation is bred with dirt and livestock to feed all more sustainably

Keywords: urban, vertical farm, -ponics, agri-tech, food security

Farms and Factories Face Automation — Gartner
Urban and Vertical Farming — Mintel
Urban Farm Futures — Future Laboratory
Regenerative Agriculture — JWT
Animal Engineering — Spacecadet
Robo-Roaming — Trend Watching

Drivers: sustainability efforts, mega-cities, STEM, hunger
From: Farmers’ responsibility
To: Our responsibility
Engage: Embrace foreign relationships to life, creation and waste

18. Data Exchange 🔐

With privacy dead, demands for returned benefits mount

Keywords: SolarWind, decentralization, value extraction, anonymity

Privacy Protection — Spacecadet
Privacy vs. Personalization — Falcon
Privacy Era — JWT
Data Privacy — Falcon
Data as Currency — Mintel
Tough Cookies — Kantar

Drivers: value of data, hoarding, techlash, GDPR, Apple and cookies
From: Struggles for control
To: Giving up for something back
Engage: Deliver open and fair exchanges of value and control
+ Deep Dive: Zynn vs. TikTok

19. DNA Ingredients 🧬

Our genome is an input, analyzed to predict and personalize

Keywords: DNA for storage, gene editing, at-home testing

DNA Testing — Mintel
Digital DNA — Spacecadet
Blood Based Solutions — Mintel
Whole-Genome Synthesis — WEF
Crisper Crash — Spacecadet

Drivers: STEM dev, desire for customization, curiosity
From: Linear options
To: Exponential opportunities
Engage: Sketch plans for tailored product or precise experiences

About the author:

Matt Klein is a cultural theorist and strategist. A Webby-winning writer, global speaker and “Top Voice in Market Research,” Klein is a trusted advisor to brands, the UN, investors, philanthropies, and the press to provide provocative, alternative explanations of the zeitgeist and author future-proofing strategies. He is currently the Head of Global Foresight at Reddit

META Trends: 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Related Pieces: 5 Year Reflections, 7 Year Backcast & META FAQs

AI Experiment Series: Quantifying, Spotting New, De-Biasing

This piece is an educational review and does not infringe upon any copyright material as covered by Fair Use, Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107.