e v rvi u ll s I wi   01 Freeze: The energy is running low, but music, art and culture always bring vitality into society. They People will switch bring a fresh mood that rejects and replaces that which has grown stale—out with the old and in off entirely. with the new. Think about the wider circumstances around the emergence of rock ’n’ roll, punk or rap, for example. As this permacrisis rumbles on, we If they’re unable to easily leave their environment see the right conditions brewing for something or actively shape it, many people will embrace new, culturally, that changes people’s outlook resignation as a coping mechanism. “Resignation” and brings them hope. With a transformation in more often relates to quitting something, but a lot creative tools through AI, it feels like something of the time it can equally mean enduring, or simply might come soon. not fighting anymore. In that way, quiet quitting is not simply about leaving a job, but more about The situation may be approaching a point where an emotional power-down to economy mode. people are moving on from skepticism or feigned The signals include China’s “bai lan” or “let it rot” ignorance to sheer anger, which will have dramatic movement, which centers around young people’s effects on brands. Like it or not, most people must refusal to invest significant effort in life because it interact with brands—especially those that make seems futile.27 life possible, like consumer-packaged goods. As brands exist entirely in a cultural context, it will be Fatigue and the onset of the empowered important to read signals fast and react to them individual combine to mean people will look at appropriately. They will also need to understand existing systems and brands with ever-greater that adapting responses will vary from person to skepticism. They already suspect manipulation and person, and that any single person may show all of disappointment, and they’ll increasingly approach them in different contexts. with caution, not hesitating to shut down their relationships with any brand they perceive to have disappointed or betrayed them. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved. 13