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See our latest Trend Map! What to expect in 2008 and beyond….

Ross Dawson, January 21, 2008 2:06 AM US PT

Nowandnext.com and Future Exploration Network have once again collaborated to create a trend map for 2008 and beyond.

Our Trend Map for 2007+ had a major impact, with over 40,000 downloads, fantastic feedback (“The World’s Best Trend Map. Ever.” “I got shivers” “Amazing” “Fascinating” “Magnifique” etc. etc.), and inspired several other trend maps including Information Architects’ first map of web trends.

While last year’s map was based on the London tube map, the 2008 map is derived from Shanghai’s underground routes. Limited to just five lines, the map uncovers key trends across Society, Politics, Demographics, Economy, and Technology.

Click on the map below to get the full pdf.

Trends mentioned in the map include:

Simplicity
Reality mining
3-D printers
Virtual protest
Female chauvinism
Geospatial web
Celebrity worship
Karma capitalism
Networked risk
Data visualisation
Same sex couples (with kids)
Constant partial attention
(For more detail on these and far more, see Richard Watson’s new book Future Files: A History of the Next 50 Years).

Remember that our trend maps are generally for stimulation rather than being taken too seriously… :-)

And as usual, the trend map is released on a Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons license, so if you disagree with the trends we’ve chosen or think you can improve on the map, feel free to play with it!