Trends Snapshot by MTM: The Great Unwokening grips America, but what happens next?

This month: Instagram will let you reset the algorithm; An exhibition from the future tackling the present as history; How some of the big players in the stock market rely on astrology… and are thriving; And finally, our need for instantaneous information is moving jobs like midwives and forest rangers to the phygital world.

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Whenever there is a seismic shift in society, such as Trump’s re-election to the White House a couple of weeks ago, there is endless soul-searching to make sense of consumer attitudes and forecast the implications for the coming years. 

One thing is for sure - America tilted rightwards. Across nearly all demographic groups, including men, nearly all ethnic groups, and men and women aged 18-29, more voters opted for Trump than in 2020. This is The Great Unwokening in action. 

There have been plenty of reasoned takes on the role of media in the election result, including Taylor Lorenz’s analysis of the Trump campaign strategy to foster parasocial connections through long-form content, and Ian Williams’ interpretation of the power of audio-visual media vs. text media to capture a sense of truth and authenticity.

Beyond this, gender - in terms of the candidates, policies, and voting preferences - played a key role in the election. In case you missed it, MTM’s report from July this year titled ‘The Great Unwokening’ explored the growing divide between the genders, which we witnessed manifest in the past couple of weeks. However, it also revealed the opportunities for brands to foster a new gender alliance over the coming years around a shared purpose, which decentres gender as the focal point. Our trends for 2025-27 include:

• Intellectual Strength: An emerging wave of youth clubs for cerebral pursuits like playing chess, reading and learning languages demonstrate how intelligence, strategic thinking, and understanding others’ perspectives are becoming the necessary skills to foster purpose and empathy in tomorrow’s world.
• Sisterhood 2.0: Girls’ girl feminism is giving way to opportunities for Gen Z to reform the sisterhood as a collective for all genders to coalesce. Think platonic dating apps like Yubo and LMK, or established players including Bumble and Hinge pivoting to become more than just for romance. Alternatively, think about content opportunities around the oft-overlooked guy/girl friendships.  
• Blue Collar Revival: The ‘toolbelt generation’ is being drawn to blue-collar jobs for the relative security amid a climate of economic volatility in white-collar careers and rapid AI take-up. This appeal is diversifying these sectors and creating a more sensitive and welcoming environment, inviting for men and women alike. 

To better make sense of our evolving societal landscape, and dig deeper into all the relevant insights that can help brands facilitate the gender alliance, download the full report and listen back to our webinar here.

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