Cultural Shifts in the Wake of a Global Pandemic
Contemplating the impact of global pandemic on the generation of tomorrow
For a while now, I’ve documented & tracked the macro-level shifts that occurred as a result of the 2008 recession. And, for a while now, these shifts have served as the unifying center for emergent trends and have influenced how businesses have had to evolve in order to appeal to consumers today and in the future. Millennials, the hardest hit by the 2008 recession and responsible for most of these shifts. They were therefore blamed and lauded as the generation responsible for disrupting the marketplace, inspiring innovation, and for “killing things” popular in previous generations.
But what will be the legacy of the preceding generation and how will they change, disrupt or re-balance how we live? The answer lies in the cultural shifts that will develop as a result of things to come from this point on.
What is a Cultural Shift?
A cultural shift, as defined by me, is “the result of historic events that change the course of history, and permanently impact how consumers see the world”.
How do they develop?
Often, the way cultural shifts occur is through a gradual and covert hegemonic process. They sometimes start off as small trends, or as behavioral changes for a small group of individuals. They eventually become a lifestyle, or fresh way of thinking and behaving that appeals to all consumers, especially those who are not already married to ideologies of the past (so, younger generations, and leading edge consumers). Finally, it trickles down to the brand world where marketers pick up on these shifts and, in an attempt to win the eyes and affinity of “the cool kids”, develop messaging and advertising that speaks to the ideologies of the emerging generation.
As new shifts develop, the previous ones never truly disappear- they simply evolve with the times or become consumer expectations.
What events are responsible for the cultural shifts to come?
Today, we are in the midst of new shifts formulating all around us, many of which I’ve been tracking since the election of Donald Trump- an event that will likely represent a key turning point in American history and beyond. Not only has this election greatly affected the attitudes, behaviors and perceptions of consumers today, but it is sewing seeds of ideologies for the generation of tomorrow.
The problem is, until they come of age, we just don’t know which way the pendulum will swing, nor do we know which trends and cultural shifts from Millennials they will choose to lean into or reject. Will they choose ultra conservative values and behaviors? Super liberal ideologies and predilections? Boorish, elitist attitudes and ways of working or considerate, egalitarian dispositions and expectations? Or will they choose a less polarized outlook and land somewhere in the middle?
Just as I started tracking the emerging cultural shifts in the age of Trump, we were hit with a global pandemic, the likes of which we have never before been seen. Depending on how long the pandemic lasts and how long markets are down, this event could have permanent long lasting effects on everything we do from this point on.
While there have been a flurry of write-ups about quick functional changes regarding legislation or ways of working, I wanted to dive into what the cultural shifts of the near future might look like.
Health & Wellness
Shifts in perceptions and definitions of cleanliness
Over the past year or two the cleanliness habits of consumers have been a source of controversy on social media. Today, thanks to Coronavirus and the need to push and reiterate proper hand cleaning consumers are harping on the subject even more. The need to keep our homes clean, avoid touching our faces and surfaces in general to contain the spread has put a spotlight how many of us think about germs, community and cleanliness especially as it pertains to gender and culture.
Because of this, definitions of “clean” may in fact shift into hyper-drive in the coming years. Technology in the space of cleanliness will likely innovate in ways for consumers to feel more in control of the environments around them. Consumers may demand proof of cleaning power, or of thought-out cleanliness measures in the near future. Screening tools, x-ray or ultra-violet ray technology could well be on their way to becoming the norm in our households, in restaurants, and in gyms.
The impact of social isolation and anxiety
Mental health and emotional wellbeing were already having a moment as going to therapy and doing self-work has become the new drug of choice for many Millennials. Turning off social media and disconnecting has also become a new kind of “mental wellness- act”. The unpredictable chaos of the never ending news cycle since the election of Trump has only increased the need for consumers walk away from their phones and take mental breaks.
COVID-19 has presented new challenges in this space as consumers have been forced into their homes and are, for the first time, experiencing life without the benefit of others in a mass scale. Ironically the way consumers are trying to combat feelings of isolation is by gravitating towards the very things that are making them anxious- their devices and social media.
Social isolation at this scale will likely impact the way we think about how we share our time with others, and the importance of doing so in a mindful way. We will likely dig into the source and causes of anxiety even more and develop more ways to address it and alleviate it. In the most extreme case, this period of time may even cause us to reanalyze our prison system for cases that require inmates to be in isolation for long periods of time.
Family Values
Reexamining how we regard our elders
People under 40 have been blamed for causing and prolonging the COVID-19 outbreak around the globe. In America specifically, young people have been chastised for continuing to go out to bars, clubs and lounges and for continuing to travel despite the epidemic plaguing the country.
America, unlike many other countries, doesn’t have the strongest reputation for caring for or sacrificing for its elders. Often, if we can afford it, we ship our parents off to retirement homes and communities or complain about the chore of taking care of them in old age. It also doesn’t help that the tension between Boomers and Millennials has a storied history which was only heightened by the outcome of the last recession.
What America does have however, is a burgeoning multicultural population that has a younger median age than Non-Hispanic Whites combined. Additionally, Millennials threw the rule book out regarding assimilation because they were in favor of owning the parts of their heritage that made them truly unique. As a result, mainstream standards and practices are increasingly becoming influenced by native born ethnic Americans & ethnic American immigrants. As these younger, increasingly multicultural generations continue to grow, they will likely impact how we care for, or regard our elders. Elder care in America may not only have a chance to be reevaluated, but we may also begin to borrow from the practices of other countries to make sure we get it right for ourselves, especially as we witness how our parents and grandparents make it through this time period.
Revisiting our family planning philosophies
We all know this story. Millennials are not having sex, delaying family planning, having less children or choosing no children at all.
Depending on the death toll caused by the virus, and depending on how long it takes for consumers to become financially stable again (as well as the governments response with aid packages), Millennials and GenZ consumers may find themselves reevaluating their philosophies on family planning. This may already be shifting as jokes and rumors about quarantine scenarios that may result in an entirely new Corona-inspired generation of kids circulate throughout social media. On the other side, these quarantine conditions could also serve as a catalyst for much needed divorces.
Living Life to the fullest
A potentially new relationship with risk taking
If Millennials were the YOLO generation, what, pretell, may the next generation be known for as they come to terms with social restrictions that they’ve never had to deal with before?
In the past, Millennials famously shrugged off their debts and financial planning to indulge in travel and meaningful experiences. What will GenZ be willing to risk it all for in the future? Will this pandemic re-frame how they think about life, and their time on earth? If so, what, if any, parts of their daily lives will they be more willing to reinvestigate and take risks in? Since this generation tends to live in the world of social media, will these quarantine conditions be an issue at all, or, will they potentially see more value in real-life connections beyond their devices?
In contrast, will this event have the opposite effect? Will future generations instead hunker down and choose to play it safe? Will we move to a place of risk avoidance with an emphasis on individual crisis planning? Will frivolous spending become obsolete in favor of saving for the next potential pandemic? With an administration that seems to throw money at just about everything and a society that is increasingly becoming sustainable and seeing less value in waste, this is an absolute possibility as we increasingly choose to recycle and rent things that our parents used to pride themselves in owning.
Potential for Growth of Distrust
Perceptions of the government and big business
A few weeks in and the billion dollar airline industry is already asking the government for a bailout. The Federal Reserve dropped interest rates, TWICE and rates are now down to zero. Trump went from calling Coronavirus a democratic hoax to getting tested for it and proposing a stimulus package for Americans who will be negatively impacted by it. Brands across the globe have reduced prices, shifted payment deadlines and created flexible options for consumers to consider. The last time anything like this happened in our lifetime was the 2008 recession which permanently changed our perceptions of big business.
As consumers witness new measures put in place to benefit companies and to keep brands from shuttering, they are also witnessing a new kind of flexibility that never seemed plausible let alone possible in the past. Depending on how long it takes for the world to dig itself out of a financial crisis, consumers may demand that some of these measures stay in place for the long haul.
More than that, as younger generations watch those of us who will have our livelihoods impacted by such an unprecedented phenomenon, they will also be watching for the response of the government and the brands they affiliate with. This will either foster a new era of suspicion and distrust, or, depending on their response, create a new appreciation for both. Either way younger consumers will make their own determinations and will likely direct and influence the way we engage with and/or perceive the government and big business practices.
Who knows what the next cultural shifts will actually be. There are simply too many implications and scenarios that need to play out first, and many more that I haven’t explored in depth just yet, such as:
- The pandemic potentially impacting our relationship with religion and religious institutions- either increasing faith in America or pushing consumers even deeper into preferences around spirituality and astrology.
- The pandemic completely reformatting our opinions on the gig economy as younger consumers could either think of it as too great of a risk, or as a better bet than being unpredictably laid off from their companies.
- It could potentially turn us into a collectivist society and bring us closer to other countries or simply make us more determined to prioritize individualistic ideals and practices.
I personally believe that most people are hoping that it changes the way we value one another- our loved ones, our friends, our families, but that could just be optimistic thinking.
Once everything settles back down it will be vital for us to fully understand the impact of these shifts on our behaviors and mindsets. For the brands that survive this time period, it will be vital for marketers to explore the cultural context of their categories and branding concepts in order to track how this cultural event may have permanently changed the signified meanings of these things in the consumer landscape of the future.
I’ll be watching.
