As we look towards 2023 it’s hard to escape the sense that perhaps progress is not always as inevitable as we’ve been led to believe. That in many aspects of our lives we are perhaps sliding backwards; or at least finding a new equilibrium between the new and the old, technology and humanity, innovation and tradition.
The brave new world of the metaverse has been rocked by slower adoption than anticipated and by worsening outlooks for cryptocurrency. Cost of living crises are impacting consumers across the globe and amidst talk of rationing and power blackouts. Not even the most advanced economies, it turns out, are endlessly resilient in the face of war, climate change and soaring inflation.
Our 2023 trends are designed to reflect this shifting balance: the very new and the very old, the embrace of technology to propel us forward and the desire to step back and disconnect. The sense that progress and regression, optimism and anxiety are more finely balanced than ever. The best of times and the worst of times.
