Cassandra 2024 Outlook - 4 for 24
What a roller coaster of a year 2023 has been! Peaks of excitement as girl-power tours rock the globe (shoutout to our beloved queens of pop - Taylor Swift and Beyoncé) and valleys of impatience and activism through the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Peaks of shared fandom and connectivity with pointed valleys of global crisis, conflict, and despair. Peaks of tech and wellness innovation and valleys of AI misuse and misinformation. And add into that mix that it was the hottest year on record – we are living in times that simply exude uncertainty.
2024 is bound to be filled with just as much chaos, excitement, and need for truth and connectivity, heightened by a presidential election year. Gen Zs are looking for ways to sort through all of the content they are exposed to and manage generational expectations, all while holding onto a sense of self and connectedness to get through it all. Let’s face it - if you aren’t laughing, you’d be crying.
In this year’s Cassandra Outlook, Four for ‘24, we explore the most meaningful trends and brand implications moving forward into the next twelve months. We predict increased skepticism among Gen Z as deepfakes in the ever-evolving AI space continue to blur the line between fiction and reality. We anticipate a shift in Gen Zs thinking when it comes to their life goals and expectations. Using humor as a coping mechanism will continue to be ever-present. And we forecast Gen Z will be searching for deeper connection with others.
The connective thread between these cultural trends is Gen Z’s resiliency. Growing up in a world of upheaval, increasing divisiveness and extremism – they know that they can and indeed, must, fix it all. Read further to explore the trends that we will be talking about in the year to come.