Richard Laermer – 2011 Trendspotting For The Next Decade – A Futuristic Concoction That Aims To Inspire

Be it as you want to make sense of what is happening in your life or be inspired as you look ahead into the next decade, futurist Richard Laermer’s new concoction made of personal observations and opinions that are witty, humorous, and enlightening sprinkled with a healthy dose of sarcasm and brutal honesty will certainly make you stop and ponder: now, why didn’t I see it coming?

“2011 Trendspotting for the Next Decade” is not a list of inevitable events that are going to happen.  That – as quoted from the author- is the job of a fortune teller.  Instead, Richard Laermer has created a map that explains and forecasts a range of possible futures in the areas of media, technology, sociology, entertainment, and more.

I want to believe in the author that on January 1, 2011, we will finally wake up rising above the era of mediocrity – an era of us weighed down by the international inertia as we are perpetually waiting for something to happen in this decade.  But such a claim is likely to invoke a certain level of skepticism even for the most susceptible readers.  It is not until I have finished reading all the seventy over topics, attempted to connect all the dots together, then I said to myself: these may well be true.  All these trends may possibly point towards an era that something good is going to happen and I may possibly wake up to a bright new day!

How about a future whereby we say goodbye to short attention span and get more sleep by sleeping less?  A future whereby e-mail is death, office workplace is going to be way better than working from home, and more people will give genuine complements?  Think of what you can do with a paper thin battery.

But not everything is going to change in the year 2011.  TV is here to stay.  Mobile phone will always be our first love regardless of what other new toys we may have.  Our ‘generation broke’ will still be narcissistic (surprise?) and the ‘old people’ will continue to have a role to play in the workplace.

On a lighter side, “2011 Trendspotting for the Next Decade” is packed with entertaining topics ranging from Richard Laermer’s lively remarks on celebrities such as Donald Trump, Ashlee Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears to his less than pleasant personal encounters with or opinions on the big corporates such as Starbucks, Apple, Frito-Lay, Victoria’s Secret, and Google.  You may even pick up tips on how to be famous and be cool.  At the other end of the spectrum, the book does layout concrete advice on topics such as how to spot trends, what is branding and marketing, and more.

Depending on your social and geographic background, you may connect to the book differently from other fellow readers.  First, the people, organizations, and events mentioned are largely from America.  If you are from the US or very much in tune with the US culture, you should quite readily be able to relate to the contents.  Second, to fully appreciate the book does require the readers to have a keen sense of current affairs including what goes on with the celebrities (you can easily fill up the gaps with the help of the Internet these days).  And third, some of the topics may urge you to self-reflect on something that you may not want to face.

Also, as a business book, the humorously casual writing style that tends to be random at times may not be something you are used to.  However, for the net savvy ones who frequent the blogsphere, you may feel at home.  Don’t expect a structured information download from this book and be prepared to be an active reader – constantly reading, constantly thinking.

Beyond the text, the author often leaves specific website addresses of his own for further reading.  Unfortunately, at the time of this review, none of these links were ready and there was this one-liner standard response at the site that did not say much.  I wrote to Richard Laermer via e-mail.  Within half an hour, he responded with a friendly reply, took my humble suggestion, and edited his web page to be more informative on the situation.  That’s right.  Richard Laermer is reachable, just like what he wrote in his book.

You may become more net savvy after reading this book (like I do); you may be loaded with interesting topics for your next (offline) social gathering; and you may even start to spot the trends based on your daily observation.  As an afterthought, even if only half of what Richard Laermer has mentioned turns into reality in the next decade, the world will still be a better place than today.  And if you become inspired and want to do something with the trends, I think that is what the author is trying to achieve.

“2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade” by Richard Laermer is published by McGraw-Hill and can be found in all good bookstores.