A resurgence in empathy inspires us to work with strangers
Implications - The sour economy and financial collapse have led to a resurgence in empathy. Individuals who might never have asked for help in a boom economy are now forced to do so. And 2008’s crowdsourced insight has evolved into 2009’s collaborative communities, who prefer to tell their story face to face.
Trend Themes
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Collaborative Communities — In a time of economic uncertainty people are searching for more empathy, encouraging face-to-face interaction resulting in collaborative communities.
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Guerrilla Social Bonding — With people becoming more disconnected in real life, guerrilla social bonding projects have emerged as a way to form connections with strangers.
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Modern Community Building — There is a rising trend in the search for shared community resources, such as carpooling or shared composting sites, creating a more inclusive and thoughtful neighborhood connection.
Industry Implications
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Digital Communities — Rising trends in collaborative communities and guerrilla social bonding is creating an opportunity for digital communities to overcome physical disconnection.
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Sustainable Living — The rising trend in sharing resources and community-based initiatives creates a big opportunity for sustainable living industries to meet the needs of these new trends.
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Eco-tech — Eco-tech industries are in a unique position to help build new infrastructure and offer new products and services to address the collaborative efforts within the community building movement.
