Future Society Outlook

The Future Society Association (FSA) presents the Future Society Outlook. In ten theses, societal challenges and blind spots are analysed and fields of action are identified beyond the popular mega-topics. Companies, politicians and citizens get insights into how to proactively tackle challenges which have received little attention in an environment characterised by dynamism and uncertainty so far, and how they can develop joint perspectives.

After two years of the global Corona crisis, the announced end of the pandemic promised a long-awaited return to normalcy with unrestricted travel and economic growth. In a historical analogy to the end of the Spanish flu, the "Roaring Twenties" of the 21st century were announced. In reality, however, we as a society face challenges that offer little room for euphoria. The attack on Ukraine, for example, has catapulted us back into the world of the 20th or 19th century - with a destabilisation of Europe that cannot yet be assessed in its entirety. At the same time, pre-pandemic challenges such as an accelerated digitalisation and the fight against climate change also demand concrete solutions with a high degree of urgency. The expected new normal primarily shows one thing: The ability to deal with uncertainty and a high change dynamic becomes a central task.

In order to successfully thrive in the 21st century, it is indispensable to anticipate future framework conditions and to address societal challenges at an early stage. Hence, the Future Society Association publishes the Future Society Outlook. The outlook, among other things, discusses how contradictions in the definition of sustainability are fueling old, ideological debates. For example, the digitisation efforts of the last two decades have led to greater transparency in many areas and made environmental impacts measurable. At the same time, it is precisely these digital solutions, which are often computer power intensive, causing high CO2 emissions when training algorithms or streaming movies and music. Consequently, a differentiated definition of sustainability is needed, in which the roles of technology and nature are reassessed.

Another area of tension was identified with regard to the younger generations. While they are the focus of much marketing and social media activity, their needs have been consistently neglected in the wake of the Corona pandemic. As a result, youth culture is turning out to be "generation washing."

The outlook also explains why location-based workers are disadvantaged in a hybrid world of work, why technology fears prevent progress, or why the traditional understanding of the roles of the state, companies and citizens is reaching its limits.

The FSA has launched several projects with its partners to address these challenges. Projects include the establishment of a youth committee, new solutions for differentiated knowledge transfer in social media and the development of desirable future images of Switzerland. The objective is to overcome fragmentation, define common values and strengthen a new self-image in order to position Switzerland in the 21st century and further develop its successful model.

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