Mats Lindgren, CEO Kairos Future Group, will be joining a prestigious panel of speakers in Madrid October 6-7.

Kairos Global Watching no 7-2008

– The newsletter is published and distributed by Kairos Future International AB

Issue: 7, year 2008
Date: July 25, 2008

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KAIROS WORLDWIDE: TRIBALIZATION
 
News:
-    Urban tribes in Mexico – why do they beat the emos?
-    Spain: Young Hedonists or Young Entrepreneurs?
-     “New good men” – Made in China?
-     Malaysian youth – family oriented collectivists

Upcoming events:
-    Join the 1st European Innovation Movement Symposium in Madrid, 6-7 October!

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Dear reader,

In these times of globalization, shrinking distances and blurring of cultures, how do young people choose to define themselves? How do they to find their place in society?
 
Individualization, post-modernism and tribalization are perceived as the most certain and important trends among youth today, according to a recent lifestyle survey conducted by Kairos Future and its Futuretrackers network. In this issue we take a closer look at one of them: Tribalization, on three different continents. Tribalization means that life-style based social groups are becoming increasingly common. Are perhaps these global cultural expressions more crucial for young people's identity today than the national or religious tradition they belong to?

Kairos Future’s Research Associates in Spain, Mexico and Malaysia give us examples of recent developments and debates on the topic of urban tribes in their respective country.

Urban lifestyles in China are evolving and trends such as individualization and post-modernism are bringing about changes in the ways young men and women choose to lead their lives. Read more about the “New good men” soon pushing prams in Beijing!

Enjoy your reading!

Best regards,
Sofia Johnsson
Editor
Kairos Future

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NEWS

Urban tribes in Mexico – why do they beat the emos?
By: Jonna Olsson Engström

Life-style based social groups are becoming increasingly common in Mexico, at least according to the number of newspaper articles published in the last few months. This spring, the media have been flooded with headlines about the phenomenon of urban tribes, such as fresas, darkis, punketos, darketos, salseros, poperos, rastafaris, ravers, eskatos, hiphoperos, and, above all, emos.

The Mexican emos have had a tough time this year. There are a lot of urban tribes in Mexico, and, until now, the different groups have been if not welcomed then at least accepted. But for some reason, the emos are victims of violent outbursts, and it seems like all the other groups agree – the emos are a problem. But why is that?

Read the full article here!

Jonna Olsson Engström is Kairos Future’s Research Associate in Mexico. For further information, please contact Ms. Olsson Engström by e-mail!
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Spain: Young Hedonists or Young Entrepreneurs?
By: Heléne Olsson

Will the future Spanish Youth develop in different paces? How will this impact on Career, Living and Life Styles?

According to the survey Global Youth performed by Kairos Future in 2007, Spain was the country in Europe with highest bipolarization between Young Hedonists and Young Future Entrepreneurs.

Tribalization exists in Spain in big urban areas like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Sevilla, but is still not as fragmented or dominating as in other European countries, showing more homogeneous youth life styles and big groups. However, the big volume of youth is bipolarized in welfare between local low ambitioned youth and global high ambitioned youth.

Read the full article here!

Heléne Olsson is heading Kairos Future's Barcelona branch. For further information, please contact Mrs. Olsson by e-mail!

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“New good men” – Made in China?
By: Marie-Claire Maxwell

Xinhaonanren, or “new good men”, are slowly becoming available for Chinese women who know what they want. With more money and challenging jobs, women are postponing marriage and exploring new family constellations. Some are simply demanding divorce from the old stereotype men, as increasing divorce rates prove. Young people’s opportunities to live the life they dream about are increasing.
This new breed of sensitive men, who are playing with children and shopping groceries, represent a change in a society where traditional gender roles left child raising and housework to their wives.

Read more about the new Chinese man here!

Marie-Claire Maxwell is Kairos Future's Research Associate in China. For further information, please contact her by e-mail!

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Malaysian youth – family oriented collectivists
By: Per H Nilsson

Tribalization exists in Malaysia among young people but is not as common as in the West. In general, individualism is not encouraged in society, family and friends set the standards for acceptable behavior. This is also emphasized in the schooling system where the students are seen as a collective and not as individuals.

But there are examples of Tribalization even in Malaysia, one being the notorious “Mat Rempit”...

Read the full article here!

Per H Nilsson is Kairos Future's Research Associate in Malaysia. For further information please contact him by e-mail!

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UPCOMING EVENTS:

Join the 1st European Innovation Movement Symposium in Madrid, 6-7 October!

Mats Lindgren, CEO Kairos Future Group, will be joining a prestigious panel of speakers in Madrid October 6-7.

Mats is pleased to share the speaker platform with senior executives from leading organizations that have adopted a proven innovation and strategy execution framework, including:  Google, Infosys, Orange Buzz/France Telecom, Telefónica, Crédit Agricole and NH Hotels, among others, realizing impressive results.

In addition to sharing the first-hand experiences of these innovative organizations, you will gain an understanding of the INNOVATION MOVEMENT model developed by Palladium Group – led by acknowledged international authorities on strategy execution, Drs Robert Kaplan and David Norton -- and Venkat Ramaswany and Francis Gouillart, founders of the Experience Co-Creation Partnership.

Please visit www.en.innovationmovement.com or contact Carol Baines by e-mail  for the full agenda!

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The newsletter Global Watching is distributed monthly free of charge to anyone who has registered as a subscriber and contains a selection of news and information on society and futures related issues. You are welcome to forward Global Watching free of charge to everyone you know and internally within your organization, with reference to the source.

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Kairos Future International AB
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E-mail: info@kairosfuture.com

Kairos Future International AB is a Swedish futures research and strategy consulting firm that helps companies understand and shape their future. We have done youth surveys and values research for over a decade and possess unique methods to assess futures scenarios.

By: Heléne Olsson

Will the future Spanish Youth develop in different paces? How will this impact on Career, Living and Life Styles?

According to the survey Global Youth performed by Kairos Future in 2007, Spain was the country in Europe with highest bipolarization between Young Hedonists and Young Future Entrepreneurs.

Hedonists, because 28% of the enquired youth declared to prefer an easy-going life with few obligations, less career focused with a preference of future work in public administration and sufficient income to consume day to day luxury as clothes, travels and entertainment and without any intention to leave their parents in the close future.

Entrepreneurs, because 24% of the enquired youth stated a clear interest in creating their own company in the next years, preparing themselves carefully with education and experience.

Spain has undergone a dramatic change with a high increase of economic welfare since 1975 and the young Spanish born after Francos’ death are today excelling in consumption, education and environmental concern, one of the highest in Europe. The high rate of immigration of more than half a million of new young foreign people into Spain during the last five years, most of them with a low rate of education from Latin America and Africa but with a strong will to succeed, is also blending the future Spanish Youth culture.

Tribalization exists in Spain in big urban areas like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Sevilla, but is still not as fragmented or dominating as in other European countries, showing more homogeneous youth life styles and big groups. The clearest urban tribes in Spain are alternative groups like; “Okupas” (young people occupying empty buildings), “skaters” (urban skating at public spaces) and “skinheads” (extreme right underground movement). However, the big volume of youth is bipolarized in welfare between local low ambitioned youth and global high ambitioned youth.

The trend of continued Individualism, eclipsing collectivism and associate life, brings a big challenge for politicians and companies to design their future strategies towards this target. The Spanish youth has little faith in politics and they consider themselves capable of influencing more in the immediate and local future than in the global perspective.

It is evident that the Spanish Youth in the next ten years will undergo a big change, with many different paces simultaneously and it will become more and more complex to understand and grasp.

For further information, please contact Mrs. Heléne Olsson by e-mail!

By: Marie-Claire Maxwell

Xinhaonanren, or “new good men”, are slowly becoming available for Chinese women who know what they want. With more money and challenging jobs, women are postponing marriage and exploring new family constellations. Some are simply demanding divorce from the old stereotype men, as increasing divorce rates prove.

Young people’s opportunities to live the life they dream about are increasing. To meet the new demand, the availability of new good men is on the rise. Like their counterparts in the West, these “metrosexual” men put family first and they do not mind sweeping floors or putting hot dishes on the table. This is a middle-class phenomenon starting to spread in Asia where men’s biggest goal used to be a fat paycheck. Nevertheless rising incomes are a key factor in the growing number of xinhaonanren, but the trend also correspond very well to the ranking of post-materialism as a key trend among youth in a recent survey conducted by Kairos Future and its Futuretrackers network. Another study by the Communication University of China shows that men in major cities now are in control of the household budgets, something we are only seeing the initial effects of.

This new breed of sensitive men, who are playing with children and shopping groceries, represent a change in a society where traditional gender roles left child raising and housework to their wives. The trend started in Taiwan around year 2000 and is now spreading to China’s big cities. In Japan, Brad Pitt was similarly the new cover hero when popular British Dads magazine, Father’s Quarterly launched last year. Magazines, blogs and websites like www.allcoolmen.com are also helping men to transform into considerate, helpful and good looking new ones. In Hong Kong, more flexible parental leave is possible amongst bigger corporations, but legislated paid paternity leave is far from being implemented.

The old smoking, drinking macho men who think the enlightened ones are just under the thumb of their partners might have to rethink when they find themselves alone. Questioning old Confucian values and adapting to a society where women are not just accepting their fate, will be inevitable in order to get a wife in the future! However being a new good man does not mean that you are weak, or less manly, but it will not stop you from buying a family car, make-up or household appliances either. When consumption is such an important way for young people to express their identities, advertisers should look out for xinhaonanren’s - soon pushing prams in Beijing. The stereotype Asian man, only being interested in his career and self-satisfaction is in fact becoming more responsible to the family and to society. Soon they will be seeking parenting advice, shopping and posting baby pictures online, being part of the big social world we live in today.

As the rumour goes, most new good men can be found in Shanghai – finders keepers, but beware of copies!

For further information, please contact Mrs. Marie Claire Maxwell by e-mail!

– why do they beat the emos?

By: Jonna Olsson Engström 

Tribalization, life-style based social groups, is becoming increasingly common in Mexico, at least according to the number of newspaper articles published in the last few months. This spring, the media have been flooded with headlines about the phenomenon of urban tribes, such as fresas, darkis, punketos, darketos, salseros, poperos, rastafaris, ravers, eskatos, hiphoperos, and, above all, emos.

Emos, those young skinny kids dressed in tight jeans, striped t-shirts and a pair of Converse or Vans, with a long fringe and black make-up around their eyes, listening to groups such as 30 Seconds to Mars or My Chemical Romance, have had a tough time in Mexico this year. The culture is relatively new to Mexico, according to themselves they have been around for something like three years in Mexico City, and until now nobody has really noticed. But after this spring, everyone in the country knows about the emos.

It all started in March this year, when the news media published reports and footage of an emo-bashing in Queretaro, a city in central Mexico. Hundreds of youths flooded the main plaza, kicking and punching the emos in an attack allegedly organized over the Internet, shouting “Kill the emos”. This emo-bashing was followed by similar events in Mexico City, Durango and Colima. The dailies reported about emos feeling frightened to walk around in the city alone, about a young emo boy attacked by punketos who cut his hair, and about parents with emo daughters and sons worrying about their kids’ security.

Meanwhile, emos in Mexico fought back. Pro-emo, pro-tolerance rallies and demonstrations were staged, and commentators and city officials called for tolerance and peace.

But why do they beat the emos? There are a lot of urban tribes in Mexico, and, until now, the different groups have been if not welcomed then at least accepted. But for some reason, the emos are victims of violent outbursts, and it seems like all the other groups agree – the emos are a problem. But why?

The media have feverishly been trying to answer the question by interviewing emos as well as punketos and darketos, by talking to professors in youth culture, by quoting social workers and teachers, and by visiting the emo headquarters in order to describe the culture. The answers differ, though. In a televised interview a punketo, as an answer to the question why they beat the emos, simply explained: “Because they copy our style”. The punketos and darketos accuse the emos for not having any proper culture, just copying the others.

Others search for answers in the Mexican society. One of the most popular theories is that the emos challenge the Mexican “machismo”, because of their androgynous style. The emo boy sometimes wears make-up and dresses effimenately, still a provocative thing fore many people in today’s Mexico. Hence, according to an anthropologist from the country’s largest university interviewed in La Jornada, the fighting against the emos could be an expression of the rising conservatism in the country.

But maybe it is as simple as Rodrigo, a 25 year old who defines himself as “fresa alternativa” puts it: “Everyone is beating the emos, because the emos cannot defend themselves. They are helpless. They are all 15 or 16, skinny and fragile, while the punketos are at least 20-something.” Rodrigo himself wouldn’t ever beat an emo, but still, between him and his friends, the expression “it smells of emo” is used when talking about something unpleasant, uncool, and pretentious. The urban tribes in Mexico are many, and they do not all like each other.

For further information please contact Ms. Jonna Olsson Engström by e-mail!

...but there are examples of the trend "Tribalization"

By: Per H Nilsson

Tribalization exists in Malaysia among young people but is not as common as in the West. In general, individualism is not encouraged in society, family and friends set the standards for acceptable behavior. This is also emphasized in the schooling system where the students are seen as a collective and not as individuals.

But there are examples of Tribalization even in Malaysia, one being the notorious “Mat Rempit”, a Malaysian term for individuals that participate in illegal street racing with motorcycles and scooters. They usually travel in groups late in the evenings and ride their motorcycles in a dangerous, provocative manner. A search on YouTube will display several examples of this behavior.

However, youth in general do not try to distance themselves from their parents’ generation as many of their peers in the West; instead they tend to blend in with the rest. Family ties are very strong; parents have high expectations on their children and play an active part in their education and career choices. In Malaysia like in the rest of Asia respect for elders and authority figures like teachers is the norm, youth listen to them and are expected to follow their advice.

The National Youth Survey 2007 published by the opinion research firm Merdeka Center showed that the majority of Malaysian youth do not see themselves as being able to make a difference within their community. Youth are not inclined to join clubs or associations, only one out of every five in the poll reported being member of a group.

Malaysia today is a middle income country with strong economic growth. The objective is to be a fully developed country by year 2020. The growth is to a large extent consumer driven, Kuala Lumpurs’s many shopping centers lure people to spend their hard earned money. Post-materialism is not prevalent, to show success it is important to wear designer clothes and expensive accessories like brand name watches.

For further information please contact Per H Nilsson by e-mail!

The Hindu Business Line writes about Kairos Future's survey Global Youth:

"...A Swedish strategy group ‘Kairos Future’ conducted a global youth survey in 2007 covering 22,000 respondents from 17 countries belonging to both the developed and the developing world.

The survey concluded that the Danes and the young Indians were among the most optimistic people looking forward to the future of their societies with a great deal of hope and self confidence. The vast majority of our population is below the age of 35. "

Read the whole here!

To read the article published by Stratégies in june 2008 (in French), click here !

For further information on the Me-We Generation, please contact Ms. Elin Åström.

You can read more about Kairos Future's latest international youth survey "Global Youth" here.

“It is fun, my friends can see what I am up to and people can comment on my life and I can comment on theirs. It is a way to show your life and to let other people in. Everyone is doing it.”

Estonian girl, 15 years old about uploading pictures and other personal information on the internet.*

AN EXPLOSION OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

During the last years it has been difficult to miss the explosion of social networks on the internet. Facebook, MySpace, StudiVZ (Germany), Cyworld (South Korea) – you can hardly flip through any magazine today without coming across the specific name of a social network or a discussion about social networks in general. This development evidently begs the question: where does it come from? Why do people in general, and young people in particular, have a need to expose themselves and their lives on the internet in this way? 

FROM COLLECTIVISM TO INDIVIDUALISM, FROM HIERARCHY TO MERITOCRACY

A hundred years ago identity was to a large extent something you were born with.Today, identity has less and less to do with where you come from, but it’s more and more about what you are doing and where you are going that matters.

In a historical context there are two important societal shifts that have brought about the importance of identity building: the shift from strict social hierarchy to meritocracy and the shift from collectivism to individualism. Today, people are mostly judged by their own merits and accomplishments and less by where they come from. Instead of living life the way your collective did before you, focus has shifted to life being about self-realization and self-development. In a world where the individual has a larger extent of freedom and can become anything he or she wants (at least in theory) there is also room to build your identity and not being tied to it by birth.

THE ERA OF CHOSEN COMMUNITIES  

The broad use of social networking sites, not only among youth, but across age groups leads us to an interesting point: profession and education are increasingly important as identity shapers. While factors such as religion and (ethnic) origin have decreased in importance, the 21st century is the era of the “chosen community”. We choose our relationships to a greater extent moving away from traditional connections based on family, religion, geographical and ethnic origin etc. Instead we define ourselves based in what we do, whom we know and what we have studied. 

 

 

Importance of different identity shapers – education, profession, religion and ethnic group among 30-50 year olds and 16-29 year olds in the EU (answers 6 & 7 on a 7-grade scale where 7 means “very important”). Source Kairos Future.

This development has also spurred a necessity to be visible in different forums, most often on the internet, whether you like it or not. To “google” someone is often the first step when e.g. a manager needs to get a quick first glimpse of person. Of course you do not want embarrassing photos to appear, but even worse could be not to appear at all. It is almost like if you are not visible you do not exist.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?  

If you want to know about  Kairos Future's studies on values and lifestyles please contact Ms. Elin Åström through e-mail or telephone: +46 733 64 55 90.

You can read more about Kairos Future's latest international value survey here!

* From Kairos Future’s qualitative research conducted in conjunction with the Global Youth project 2007.  

During the World Association of Newspapers annual  conference in Gothenburg Kairos Future presented the Whatif® Media toolbox.

The easy to use toolbox can help both management and staff to prepare for future uncertainties as well as today's problems. The Whatif Media toolbox is an interactive solution that engages and invloves people in taking responsibility for the present and the
future.

The toolbox has been developed in cooperation with Dreyer Kompetance AS.

Download the PDF-presentation  here.

or more information or contact Peter Siljerud, +46 70 649 10 60 or Hans Bandhold, +46 70 516 42 40 or Elin Åström, +46 733 64 55 90.