Megatrends are

trend A fad, trend, or craze is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation, or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short time period. Fads are objects or behaviors th ...

s that have an effect on a global scale. Some of the current megatrends relate to

global threats A global issue is a matter of public concern worldwide. This list of global issues presents problems or phenomena affecting people around the world, including but not limited to widespread social issues, economic issues, and environmental issu ...

. A megatrend strongly influences different spheres of life in many countries and at different levels, covering political, economic, natural environmental, social, and cultural dimensions. A megatrend is different than a shortlived product or consumer trend.

John Naisbitt John Naisbitt (January 15, 1929 – April 8, 2021) was an American author and public speaker in the area of futures studies. His first book ''Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives'' was published in 1982. It was the result of alm ...

was a pioneer of future studies. His book “Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives” was first published in 1982. It focused mainly on the United States but also attempted to present a global outlook. Naisbitt accurately predicted the change from industrialized to information societies. A growing number of research institutions, international organizations, and think tanks are reflecting on megatrends with the purpose of engaging in dialogue and influence policymaking and investments. Kuhn & Margellos proposed a framework to identify and prioritize megatrends which focuses on five criteria relating to the relevance of trends. The five key criteria are the following: # Research and, particularly, research coverage of the trend by researchers and analysts from different disciplinary background in different countries and regions. # Level of political attention for the trend in a significant number of countries and regions. # Significant interest from global investors. This acknowledges that investments have great potential to promote trends. # Media coverage of the trend. This refers to traditional media and social media. # Strength of social movements and advocacy actions related to the trend. These factors represent different spheres of societies: scientific and research, state, and government institutions; financial and business sectors; media; and civil society. Kuhn & Margellos interviewed researchers and experts from more than 30 countries to prioritize megatrends resulting in the following megatrends: * Climate Action and Sustainability * Digitalization * Inequality * Demography * Urbanization and Smart Cities * Health and Nutrition * Green Economy * Sustainable Finance * Multipolar World Order and the Future of Multilateralism * Democracy and Governance Innovations * Civilizational Developments: Diversity, Individualization and Loneliness, Gender Shift, and Identity Politics * Migration. However, it is important to note that the identification and analysis of megatrends rely on the disciplinary and professional perspectives of researchers and experts, as well as the specific country or region upon which their analysis is focused.

Economic implications

Economically, megatrends can be exploited by enterprises to make

profit Profit may refer to: Business and law * Profit (accounting), the difference between the purchase price and the costs of bringing to market * Profit (economics), normal profit and economic profit * Profit (real property), a nonpossessory inter ...

. At least 7 megatrends have been identified by multinational investment and professional services companies:pdf
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/ref> *Technological progress, esp. in the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

domain *

Demographic change Demography () is the statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analysis examine ...

and

social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Sustained at a larger scale, it may lead to social transformation or societal transformat ...

*Rapid global

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

Climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and

resource depletion Resource depletion occurs when a natural resource is consumed faster than it can be replenished. The value of a resource depends on its availability in nature and the cost of extracting it. By the law of supply and demand, the Scarcity, scarcer ...

Emerging market An emerging market (or an emerging country or an emerging economy) is a market that has some characteristics of a developed market, but does not fully meet its standards. This includes markets that may become developed markets in the future or we ...

s *The impact of

deepfakes ''Deepfakes'' (a portmanteau of and ) are images, videos, or audio that have been edited or generated Generative artificial intelligence, using artificial intelligence, AI-based tools or AV editing software. They may depict real or fictional p ...

and other

synthetic media Synthetic media (also known as AI-generated media, media produced by generative AI, personalized media, personalized content, and colloquially as deepfakes) is a catch-all term for the artificial production, manipulation, and modification of dat ...

Microbiomes A microbiome () is the community of microorganisms that can usually be found living together in any given habitat. It was defined more precisely in 1988 by Whipps ''et al.'' as "a characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably we ...

and

synthetic biology Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary field of science that focuses on living systems and organisms. It applies engineering principles to develop new biological parts, devices, and systems or to redesign existing systems found in nat ...

References

{{reflist Futures studies Research