Marian Salzman

November 2020

Is 2020 over yet? We have all experienced some lousy years, but this one has upended our lives and tested us in ways we would never have imagined a year ago.

In her annual trends report, Marian explores 11 sightings that promise to influence our life choices and behaviors as we progress into what will ultimately become our next normal. Coming off the “great pause” of the pandemic of 2020, we will be zooming in on our local communities, scrambling long-held notions of time and space, devising ways to reclaim “real” estate from the virtual realm, and making peace with uncertainty. Resilience and adaptation will be the order of the day—and year.

“Over the past 35 years, Salzman has become one of the world’s most powerful social trend predictors. … Every year Salzman releases her highly influential Annual Trends report, treated like a bible by companies worldwide. On her 2020 list, alongside global conflict, the end of civility and eco disaster (all worryingly depressing), there’s one bright spark—the rise of the ‘age proud’ movement.” —DailyMail.com.

Greetings from my isolation outpost to yours. A few thoughts as we enter a second month of social distancing—or longer for those in some parts of the world: