Monthly archive for April2014

Think globally, act locally: the integration of local markets into world capitalism. Is it possible for the universal and the particular to co-exist? Popularized in the 1990’s by sociologists and economists alike, the idea of “glocalisation” has been around for longer than you think. From…

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In our busy and stressful lives, time is the greatest commodity, and entertainment our greatest release. Ecologically sustainable living is not always easy, nor is it always fun. A documentary on the tragedy of polar bears on shrinking ice-caps, or an animated comedy about a…

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It’s easy to forget that once, multigenerational living was the rule, not the exception. Post-recession, do we find ourselves moving back home? Nqobile moved back into his parents’ home for six months after college while he searched for a job. When Sara’s 90-year-old dad leaves…

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A new millennial citizen has emerged: the Techno Hippie. Their population expanding rapidly throughout the world’s concrete jungles, this species is most likely to be spotted in a fair-trade coffee shop, eating a sprout salad while signing Greenpeace petitions on a smartphone. Techno Hippies are…

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The intuitive assumption that poor countries are trying to play catch up with first-world countries is a strategic blind spot. If necessity is the mother of invention, we should turn our gaze to those in need. Usually, innovation comes from the top and trickles down…

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Once upon a time people were born into communities and had to find their individuality. Today people are born individuals and have to find their communities. A new youth culture is emerging. Read more about this macro trend. There’s an exhaustion with trying to seem…

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Technology now provides ways for improving mental health through stress detecting and self-treatment gadgets. New innovations offer time-starved, stressed and overworked consumers the edge on their peers by simply downloading an app for much needed relief on the pressures of modern life. The quantified-self movement…

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Whether it is ‘always wanting’ a new version of a consumer electronics device, or a software app update or even a food item that’s “new and improved”, consumers are relentless in their pursuit of “New”. The old model of physical consumption – purchase, use, declare…

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