By E. KINNEY ZALESNE
Are you starting to see Microtrends everywhere you look?
A few weeks ago, TIME Magazine profiled atheists who’ve started a Sunday School — to pass their atheist orientation on to their kids. In an era of “pervasive religiosity,” as we talked about in the book, atheists are a counter-intuitive force – a small but passionate group, bonding together to affirm and advance what’s important to them. The Sunday-School Atheists may even number in the millions. A perfect microtrend.
Or on January 15, the Washington Post had a front-page story about young, college-educated couples who buck the trend and raise kids early. How counter-intuitive, in a nation where the average age of first-time childbearing for college-educated Moms is 30, and rising. Everyone – from employers to religious leaders to marketers of everything from home mortgages to baby products – might want to pay attention.
Since Microtrends came out in September, one of the most gratifying things we’ve heard is that the book not only shines a light on new commercial and political opportunities — but it also gets at the heart of human complexity and variety. Too often, people get pigeon-holed based on their gender, race, or ethnicity. If you look or talk a certain way, people think they know everything else about you, too. But if you look at microtrends — defined more often by preference than by happenstance – you can begin to really see the richness and breadth of the people of our great nation.
And hey, did anyone catch that TIME Magazine named “Cougars” the Top New Word of 2007?
Stay tuned to this site for 1) new microtrends, 2) updates on the microtrends in the book, and 3) most importantly, YOUR microtrends. Go spot some, and send them in. Then vote for your favorite. Each month, we’ll have a little prize for the best micro-trendspotter out there.
Thanks for reading the book, and for joining the ranks of Microtrenders. Enjoy microtrending!
14 responses so far ↓
1 Susan Potratz // Feb 15, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I just finished the chapter on Native Language Speakers. I live in Atwater, CA. This is central CA, farm country. Livingston CA is almost 98% hispanic, primarily 1st generation. The schools there are having a difficult time with English as a second language, no child left behind is a joke for this population. They do not want or intend to assimilate. The jobs they have here make them very wealthy back in Mexico, where they have their “real home”. The drug traffic in meth is predominant, gang activity between Nortenos and Serenos…Our county has much diversity to offer that makes it a great place to live, 76 languages/dialetics at last count, if we could just get some level of assimilation. Livingston is like another world…
2 franz enzenhofer // Feb 16, 2008 at 2:34 pm
hi i read the book during my vacation on the beach, back in the job i looked again on my figures. (i’m a SEO, search engine optimizer, lots of figures and statistic there) and i realized that i looked at them in a different way, no more “long tail nummbers” but microuniverses of small trends that change the big picture in a significant way.
thx, great book, hope seeing more blogposts soon. br franz enzenhofer, SEO manager
3 barry byrne // Feb 25, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Authors,
Thank you. The book is interesting, and informative. Of the many subjects, i especially liked the prediction/comment about personalized marketing/communication. It seems that is where the internet search engines are headed.
Do you have an opinion/comment on that?
Barry Byrne
4 matt c // Feb 25, 2008 at 11:02 pm
read your book and really enjoyed it. saw this in the local paper the other day.
http://www.startribune.com/business/13513951.html (hope you can open the link) it’s about people who are trying to go 1 year without buying new items. the article’s subject coincides w/ the going “green” movement but is just the opposite of what seems to be the normal american mindset of over consuming.
5 sterling Nichols // Feb 28, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I haven’t read the book, but reading the intro was an incredible sense of NUFF SAID! I read the megatrends book a long time ago and somewhat impressed in that I was trying to be the next great Aristotle..LOL That didn’t work. But , what was interesting in reading the Microtrends front cover inlets were: it said the US is no longer a melting pot and that has changed… And indeed it has…everything is so “micro-fractioned” it can be overwhelming but if you have a grasp of what the gist of this book is saying then it is not overwhelming at all. I woud say it time to brainstorm with some help.
What led me to this book was the “Small Is new BIG” by Seth Godin and how markets have changed. Although it did not mention the book specifically it’s the general idea.
I will read it further and and get back..I’m sure it’s going to be one enjoyable ride learning NEW insight.
Please add me to mailing list
6 David // Mar 4, 2008 at 2:18 pm
So, has anyone else considered the possibility that microtrending could become a microtrend?
7 Nicholas Papoulias // Mar 5, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Great book a must read
8 Sabrina // Mar 15, 2008 at 12:19 am
Un-documented microtrend: Online chat with web cams draw “crowds” of 50+ for micro radio station/internet video broadcasting. Both Stickam and Livevideo chat rooms are popular when activity is centered around music or video sharing. These mini clubs worship micro celebrities who regularly have their chat room open and personally interact with the individuals in the room.
Social Geeks unite!
While Stumble and Digg mine the “wisdom” of the masses, video chat is the shepherd gathering in the flock of online video sharing communities (the long-tail of internet entertainment)
I expect involvement to increase as the early adapters go mobile and the addiction to global instant visual communication spreads to curious bi-standers.
9 Audrey Beauvais // Mar 17, 2008 at 10:38 am
I’m reading the book to vet it for inclusion in a non-credit class (Non-fiction Books )for seniors . I’m enjoying it very much BUT the trend I’ve been aware of for sometime is that for at least casual writing Upper Case use has become non-essential. The implication? Fewer English teachers? Fewer editors? Removal of shift key on computers?
10 lorraine // Mar 29, 2008 at 8:04 pm
As we speak aren’t the trends changing? The current economic downturn may (and will) start new trends as we end the first decade of the 00’s.
Is there any trend of mothers of large families (more than four kids) also holding down full time jobs?
I’m thinking of the “religious right” of this country whose women exercise the ability to have a large family, as well as the right to have
a career.
Lorraine
11 Andres // Mar 31, 2008 at 10:31 pm
The introduction of your book is excellent! Congratulations!
The books of Toffler and Naisbitt were “useful” and “up to date” for many years. Considering that our world is changing faster and faster, will your book be able to keep its “usefulness” for many years?
I am also interested in trends. I live in South America so if you need data from this part of the world, send me an e-mail.
Best regards,
Andres
http://www.trendsandbusiness.com
12 Vickie // Sep 21, 2008 at 10:31 am
Just finished listening to the MicroTrend Audio book. That’s a great way to learn while driving in traffic, to and from each appointment and while going home. Great ideas, fantastic ways to see the micro changes around us. I’m using some of the micro trends in my business now.
I’m looking for a microtrend in the audio book population. Is it rising? Should be ,with all the baby boomer commuters that want to learn and not loose valuable time.
Thanks!
13 mark // Feb 11, 2009 at 8:42 pm
thanks for a wonderfully thought-provoking book that i finished recently.
the broad idea i like the best is that we are in a more choice-driven world than one pre-destined by our race, gender, nationality, social class. this is clearly both true and enpowering.
one theme that repeats itself is how paradoxical some microtrends are: people who choose to be ‘anti-tech’ in a world where tech trends are strong, parents who choose to start young when the trend is for older parents. seems to me this is perfectly logical - there is a natural desire to want to be unique and different. when everyone seems to be moving in one direction, there will be people who would ‘rebel’ against that new mainstream and move in the opposite direction.
keep up the wonderful work - it is clearly making a difference in our understanding of the world.
14 Antonia // Mar 2, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Love the book! great to use in the classroom! great to identify new business/product ideas.
I only miss more updated infor on the website!
Thank you!
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