On a sultry afternoon in August, I scooped up an armful of daily newspapers and trudged up to my writing studio to make sense of things: Neo-Nazis brandishing Tiki torches, the circus that is the White House and bitter partisan finger pointing. I must tell you, I see a pattern...
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Summer Reading: iGen, Smartphones, Digital Culture and the Disrupted Self
As many of you know, my current obsession is researching how digital culture is changing humans most deeply—especially from within. Our sense of identity is not only a compass that motivates us, it also a cultural touchstone. It won’t surprise you. My findings are disturbing. In essence, we are at...
What Digital is Doing to Our Drive
Back in 2012, I started looking into what digital culture is doing to our sense of identity. I was especially curious about how the Internet is affecting the interplay between identity and ambition–our drive to become someone, to make something of our selves. Because if you think about it, our...
5 Ways Digital is Transforming Who We Are and What We Want
Back in 2012, I started looking into what digital culture is doing to our sense of identity. I was especially curious about how the Internet is affecting the interplay between identity and ambition. I’m talking about how our drive to become someone–to make something of our selves–might be transforming in...
New Rules for Communicating with Millenials and GenZ
Millennials and Gen Z live in two worlds. The time spent in the virtual world competes aggressively with life in real-time. It also means coming of age in two worlds. For the past five years, I have followed the lives of 90 Millennials and Gen Z teens using social media...
“Hamilton” Meets the Super Bowl
Back in 2008, I drew laughs from the audience while on a book tour for Ren Gen: Renaissance Generation. I guess that struck some people as funny. I get that. It was a bold remark back then. Last week, The National Football League announced that Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry...
Announcing the 2017 Trend Report
It’s here! Our 2017 Trend Report is ready for download. This year, the team celebrated the fact that this marks our seventh annual Trend Report. It feels like a landmark in a world where very little lasts. Because we focus on deep social trends that have the power to endure,...
Field Notes: What Successful People Know About Themselves
A few years ago, I bought a Nike Fuel band to help me with my fitness goals. I loved how it cheered me on when I hit a milestone. Wearing it 24/7 bolstered my identity as an athletic person. My current research on the changing relationship between ambition and identity...
What’s Next for You?
Like me, you’ve probably given serious thought to how you are going to improve your work or personal life, even a smidge in 2017. On my list is a set of self-improvement goals a magic genie couldn’t tackle: 1. Give up sugar. (I already gave up gluten last year). 2....