In its 18th Year, Accenture Song’s annual bellwether report identifies five global macro trends and provides key consumer insights and guidance for businesses
Over half of people are questioning the content they’re served online more than before, and 62% of people say that trust is an important factor to them when choosing to engage with a brand, according to Accenture’s (NYSE: ACN) 18th annual Life Trends report.
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People’s response to rapid technological advances is mixed. Influenced by increased use of AI and generative AI, recent breakthroughs are impacting society’s digital experiences. While appreciating the convenience digital technology offers, people are increasingly needing to scrutinize what they see and what they believe as they seek to rebalance technology’s role in their lives.
"As new technologies, including generative AI, reshape everyday experiences, people are adapting their interactions to maintain control,” said Nick Law, creative chairperson, Accenture Song. “Today, online trust is a critical issue, with everyone becoming more discerning about what they see and believe. Naturally, this shift is influencing how customers engage with businesses vying for their attention."
Insights crowdsourced from around the globe helped Accenture Song identify five macro-consumer trends forecasting the changing dynamic between technology and users, and the challenges and opportunities for brands as they adapt their strategies to meet evolving customer needs.
- Cost of Hesitations: The trustworthiness of digital technology is under threat as a rise in scams blurs the lines between real and deceptive content. Generative AI is amplifying this confusion, challenging people’s trust in digital platforms. Accenture research shows over half of people now question online content’s authenticity. Trust erosion is impacting online shopping and brand interactions, with 33% of people reporting deep-fake attacks or scams in the past year. Brands must reassure customers by creating beacons of trust in communications, commerce, and product.
- The Parent Trap: Parents face the challenge of helping the next generation build a healthy relationship with digital technology—potentially against their will. Unrestricted access to the internet and social media is influencing extreme behaviors and exposing young people to many different types of harm. Parents are seeing the effects and feeling the urgency, so they’re mobilizing to establish guardrails as governments work on top-down policy. Accenture findings reveal that those aged 18-24 are more than twice as likely as those over 55 to say social media impacts their identity. Meanwhile, about two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials agree that they’re spending more time online than they would like to (67% and 64% respectively). As young adults struggle with negative impacts, debate and action are needed to find the right balance and protective measures.
- Impatience Economy: Many cultures emphasize that education, hard work, and determination can shape a desired future. However, last year’s Decade of Deconstruction trend revealed that goals and priorities are increasingly shifting. Today, three out of four consumers say they wish companies would respond faster to their changing needs. Over half now prefer quick answers and guidance, often turning to crowd-sourced information for faster results, even taking riskier paths for health and financial goals. Notably, influencers were once largely focused on style, travel and music but their remit has expanded to include life fundamentals like health, wealth and happiness. When companies fall short, consumers look to the digital crowd, pushing brands to keep up to maintain loyalty.
- The Dignity of Work: The dignity of work is increasingly being tested by business pressures, technological advances and shifting dynamics. As generative AI enters the workplace, dignity needs to be factored into new expectations around how people will work with the technology. Three out of four people find generative AI tools helpful at work, saying that they make work more efficient (44%) and improve the quality of work (38%), while some are concerned that they limit creativity (14%), make work more transactional (15%), and create anxiety about job security (11%). Leaders must foster motivation and agency, as they are key to producing high-quality work.
- Social Rewilding: People are increasingly seeking depth, authenticity, and sensory richness in their experiences, aiming to engage with the world in meaningful ways. Reflecting a renewed desire to reconnect with nature and each other, people are seeking balance between technology and moments of joy and well-being. We found that 42% of people attributed their most enjoyable experience in the past week to something they did in real life, while only 15% noted a digital experience. The shift presents organizations with opportunities to rethink their roles and align with people’s growing desire for more immersive and authentic experiences.
“The relationship between humans and technology is undeniably shifting, and increasingly complex,” said David Droga, CEO, Accenture Song. “While embracing new technologies to drive growth and relevance, we cannot deprioritize or outsource trust and humanity.”
To read this year’s Accenture Life Trends 2025 report, visit accenture.com/LifeTrends2025 or explore the findings in Accenture’s thought leadership app, Accenture Foresight.
Research Methodology
The annual bellwether forecast identifies emerging digital trends and actions for businesses to take in 2025, via crowdsourced insight and intelligence from Accenture Song’s global network of designers, creatives, technologists, sociologists and anthropologists. Accenture surveyed 24,295 respondents across 22 countries in July 2024 to validate the trends.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with 774,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at accenture.com.
Accenture Song accelerates growth and value for our clients through sustained customer relevance. Our capabilities span ideation to execution: growth, product and experience design; technology and experience platforms; creative, media and marketing strategy; and campaign, commerce transformation content and channel orchestration. With strong client relationships and deep industry expertise, we help our clients operate at the speed of life through the unlimited potential of imagination, technology and intelligence.
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