Visual network map of MegaTrends to 2050

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Futurist Richard Watson and I have collaborated for many years on client projects and visual frameworks, including Trend Blend 2007, over a decade ago sparking the trend for using subway maps to display trends and their intersections.

Richard is still at it, having recently created a massive visual exploration based on the London train network of MegaTrends out to 2050.

Click on the image to see the high resolution version – you need to spend time on this to discover the details.


As always Richard brings wry humour as well as deep insights to his maps. Laid out across 16 major trend categories including Society, Economy, Food, Media, Transport and Security, some of the intriguing trends include:

  • Popularity of dystopian fiction
  • Gamification of healthcare
  • Implantation of false memories
  • Digital self-actualisation
  • Intergenerational home loans
  • T.S Eliot prize for poetry won by AI
  • Cost of energy linked to end-use
  • Peak attention
  • Computer gaming becomes an Olympic sport
  • Weaponisation of finance

Take the time for a browse through the map for some lateral mental stimulation!