The Big Split
They say the truth lies somewhere in the middle — unless you’re predicting the future. Then, it’s looking more like an inverted bell curve, with all the action congregating at the edges.
After analyzing shifts across culture, technology, business, and marketing, we’ve spotted four emerging divides shaping the road ahead:
- Excess versus exhibitionistic restraint
- Rejection versus acceptance
- Blending in versus boldly standing out
- Leaning on the past versus leaping into the future
2025 is pulling society in opposite directions. Find out how you can stick the landing — no gymnastics required.
The Breakdown
Showroom Syndrome
Conspicuous Consumption on Social Media
Our homes, hotel stays, and grocery hauls have become a curated stage for a digital audience — aesthetic, sure, but authentic? Doubtful.
Conspicuous consumption — buying goods just outside your means to project prestige — isn’t new, but it’s probably never been as widespread as the current moment. Fueled by accelerated trend cycles, hyper-targeted algorithms, and buy-now-pay-later platforms, Black Friday 2024 shattered records with $10.8 billion in sales, including $100 million from the TikTok Shop alone. Beyond strictly financial milestones, cultural markers like the rise of “chaotic customization” tell the story: TikTok searches for bag charms skyrocketed by 317%, Pinterest crowned 2025 the “Year of Rococo,” and luxury dupe brand Quince is selling caviar (yep, you read that right).
Welcome to the era of showroom syndrome: our homes, hotel stays, and even grocery hauls have become a curated stage for a digital audience — aesthetic, sure. Authentic? Doubtful.
But this performative consumption is headed for a big split: maximalist excess versus exhibitionistic restraint. On one side, lower- and middle-class consumers will lean into excess thinly veiled as personalization, embracing expensive aesthetics and accessorizing the unaccessorizable to outshine peers in their quest for online validation. On the other, affluent buyers will retreat from the rat race, preaching experience over ownership (while making a big show of it). Think cleaning out closets à la Emma Chamberlain, trading five-star hotels for countryside estates, swapping crowded restaurants for private chefs, and rocking unassuming, "stubbornly unfashionable" sneakers with pride. Luxury travel will most certainly have its moment in 2025, but as costs continue to rise and tariffs loom over the horizon, brands should tread carefully so as not to alienate the average consumer.
For brands, this split offers clear opportunities. On the surface, affordable indulgence will resonate with budget-conscious audiences balancing the pressures of rising costs with the ongoing desire to perform status and style, while scarcity and exclusivity will always woo the wealthy. But brands that will stand out from the crowd will be the ones who bridge the gap, offering luxury experiences to average consumers — and trend-agnostic treasures to those with a little extra pocket change. Regardless of your audience’s tax bracket, though, brands should deliver experiences that feel special and one-of-a-kind, whether through immersive packaging, in-store events, or exclusive digital content that resonate across both maximalist and selective consumer mindsets.
Future Artifacts // Showroom Syndrome
Algorithm Antagonism
Our Love-Hate Relationship with Big Data
Big Data is everywhere — recommendation engines tell us what to watch, what to wear, what to eat, and what to buy.
Big Data is everywhere: recommendation engines tell us what to watch, what to wear, what to eat, and what to buy. Usage of generative AI amongst businesses has doubled in the last year. And a telecom company is using an LLM-powered grandma to bore would-be scammers into submission. In 2025, we’ll surrender more of our own decision-making to the algorithm, promising speed, precision, empirical fairness, and near-clairvoyance. The benefits will be clear, but will we be willing to deal with the consequences of its biases, glitches, hallucinations, and dark patterns?
Think of this current moment as a high-wire act, with companies standing before their own tightropes, beckoning customers with an unbelievable promise: "Our algorithm will keep you perfectly balanced — no skill or experience needed!" Here’s the rub: not everyone is telling the truth. For every customer who miraculously crosses to the other side, there's a growing crowd of the bruised and bitter below. And each fall doesn't just create one skeptic; it breeds distrust in the entire tightrope-walking industry, making potential customers eye every promise with well-earned suspicion, even the legitimate ones.
So in this world of AI miracle workers and algorithmic carnival barkers, what’s a brand to do? The companies lucky enough to have a true miracle product will lean further into their miraculousness, anthropomorphizing their abilities into a charming, divine omniscience ("Our tightrope-walking algorithm can predict your next step before you take it, feeling the tension of the tightrope and perfectly aligning your center of gravity to prevent falls."). Conversely, we’ll see brands target the growing market of those the algorithm has scorned, appropriating the language and aesthetics of personal ownership, decentralization, and egalitarianism ("You should be able to choose the tightrope walking algorithm that works best for you."). For businesses contemplating entering this marketplace, the questions to answer are fairly straightforward: metaphorically speaking, does your audience want to walk the tightrope? Are you making their tightrope-walking experience materially better? Will they benefit from this innovation in tightrope walking today and not five years from now?
Future Artifacts // Algorithm Antagonism
Warily Woke
The Quiet Future of Corporate Social Justice
From net-zero sustainability commitments, to DEI initiatives, the threat of the incoming administration rolling back ESG to the (18?)60s is a palpable one.
From net-zero sustainability commitments to DEI initiatives, the threat of the incoming administration rolling back ESG to the (18?)60s is a palpable one. In turn, Corporate America is experiencing a collective case of whiplash: Pride flags are being quietly rolled up, DEI statements carefully archived, and sustainability goals no longer being announced in press releases. In 18 states, new legislation has effectively criminalized "woke" business practices, while 92% of S&P 500 companies privately maintain their ESG commitments, and 94% used a form of the acronym DEI in their reporting. It's a peculiar moment where doing good and talking about doing good have become two very different things. The question isn't whether to continue these initiatives — it's whether to whisper or shout about them.
This new reality is forcing companies to make a clear choice. Some are choosing strategic silence, repackaging their diversity work as "talent development" and their sustainability initiatives as "risk management." They're not stopping the work — they're just discussing it in terms less likely to attract unwanted attention. Others see this moment of general retreat as an opportunity, positioning their continued commitment to ESG as a bold differentiator in an increasingly cautious market. Neither approach is inherently right — your choice depends entirely on your operating environment and appetite for scrutiny.
What's become crystal clear for brands and organizations alike is that half measures no longer cut it. Audiences — be they customers, employees, or investors — have grown too sophisticated for symbolic gestures. They've seen too many black squares on Instagram, too many rainbow logos in June, too many vague commitments to "do better." The days of getting a gold star for remembering when Juneteenth is are over.
Future Artifacts // Warily Woke
Attention Exodus
Legacy Media’s Quest to Stay Relevant
Legacy media’s grip may be loosening, but its value isn’t disappearing.
From record labels to publishing houses, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that legacy media has lost its grip on influence. Just look at the election, where Trump and Harris sidelined traditional outlets in favor of podcasters like Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper, who offered softball conversations rather than hard-hitting journalism. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Book shattered records while bypassing publishing houses entirely, and HarperCollins has resorted to paying authors to let AI train on their work — signs of an industry scrambling to maintain relevance (and revenue) amid decentralization.
This transition presents a forked road for 2025: legacy media is caught between its storied past — defined by professionalism, accuracy, and rigorous processes — and a tech-driven future, where AI and decentralized platforms dominate. At its core, the split highlights a growing distrust of traditional gatekeepers. Audiences, disillusioned with partisanship and exclusion, are taking control, saying, "I'll construct my own truth, thanks" — which sounds empowering until you realize how easily that can go sideways in a deeply manipulable landscape fueled by weaponized algorithms that prey on desires for income and influence.
While we’ll see many organizations choose one path in 2025, clinging to the past or diving headlong into the “future” without much strategic thought, the organizations that will thrive will take a balanced approach. Look to examples like The Wall Street Journal or Particle, who are bridging the divide by blending AI’s efficiency with the timeless value of human editorial judgment. For legacy media, the opportunity isn’t to dominate but to stabilize — offering transparency, adaptability, and trust through rigorous processes rather than outdated claims of authority.
For brands and organizations, this shift is a call to action. Legacy media's evolution signals the importance of trust as a currency. By combining the reach of social platforms with the credibility of strategic, human campaigns, brands can create stories that resonate deeply across diverse audiences. In 2025, brands that navigate this split effectively will stand out — not just as storytellers, but as trusted partners in a fragmented media landscape.
Future Artifacts // Attention Exodus
So, what does this
mean for you?
Let's find out. We're Artemis Ward, a strategy-driven creative agency that leads ambitious brands into the future.
Methodology
Our methodology for creating this report requires a quick vocabulary note — that is, the difference between “trends” and “shifts.”
Let’s face it — "trend" is an overused, tired term. Trends pop up like weeds and fade as quickly as cut flowers. Alone, they’re fleeting, rarely offering insights that last beyond a few days. This is why many trend reports feel stale: the trends themselves lack staying power.
Instead, we focus on "shifts" — significant changes in how people think, act, and move through the world.
Think of it like this: "underconsumption core" might have defined a trend this past summer, but if we relied solely on that, we’d miss key signals like record-breaking Black Friday spending. Similarly, fall’s "Nancy Meyers meets Ralph Lauren aesthetic" trend would fail to highlight the luxury market slump (which includes brands like Ralph Lauren) or the ongoing influence of rising costs, which inhibits most consumers from achieving that aesthetic ideal.
In short, trends alone can’t predict the future — not even the next trend — but they do add color to the broader picture. By focusing on deeper shifts, we’re able to ground our analysis in careful observation and research, create tools like the report you’re reading right now, and build frameworks that help our clients become leading figures in shaping what’s next.
- Brother Vellies Grandma Stell Mule.
- ‘Buy now, pay later’ plans are becoming more popular. Experts are concerned.
- Consumer prices up 2.7 percent from November 2023 to November 2024.
- consumerism final boss.
- THE ERA OF 'CHAOTIC CUSTOMIZATION' IS UPON US: INSIDE THE GEN Z-FUELED ACCESSORIES TREND.
- Experts say Trump’s tariffs could corrode the already struggling luxury-goods market, which is expected to shrink for the first time since the Great Recession.
- The Fashion World Fears High Tariffs
- Gen Zs want ‘chaotic customisation’ in 2025. How can brands tap in?
- Haul culture is fuelling returns. What can brands do?
- i got rid of (almost) everything.
- Jeweller Maggi Simpkins creates diamond Bose earbuds.
- Luxury’s growth stutters as 50 million consumers pull back on spending.
- Mephisto, the World’s Dorkiest Walking Shoe, Is Suddenly—Cool?
- Most Black Friday shoppers bagged their deals online this year, with record spending.
- New York City Shein Clothing Haul.
- ONEQUINCE Royal Osetra Caviar
- Research: How “Buy Now, Pay Later” Is Changing Consumer Spending.
- Returns are an $890 billion problem for retailers.
- The rich are ditching hotels. Here's why.
- Rococo Revival.
- So Quince Is Now Selling … Caviar?
- TikTok Shop sales surpass $100M on Black Friday.
- US spending on TikTok Shop gains as TikTok faces threat of ban, data shows.
- An A.I. Granny Is a Phone Scammers’ Worst Nightmare
- Bad Influence
- The Confusing Reality of AI Friend
- Gifford vs. Shiel
- Growing Up: Navigating Generative AI’s Early Years – AI Adoption Report
- How Claude Became Tech Insiders’ Chatbot of Choice
- nickcammarata
- TikTok Suitor Bobby Kotick Waits for Trump
- Ultrawealthy investors are vying to buy TikTok — here's what some would do if they took over the mega-app.
- What Billionaire Frank McCourt Would Actually Do With TikTok
- Who Buys TikTok?
- Anti-ESG Crusade in US Sweeps 15 States With More Laws in Works
- Anti-ESG legislation in the USA: Emerging risk for financial institutions?
- Anti-ESG Legislation Proliferated in the States in 2023, but Traditional ESG Still Had Some Wins
- Anti-ESG legislation seen facing uphill struggle to become law.
- Corporate sustainability is maturing, not disappearing.
- The Crimson: Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences will no longer require diversity statements in hiring process.
- GDP by State
- How politics pushed businesses to fight climate change quietly.
- The Latest Dirty Word in Corporate America: ESG
- Map: See which states have introduced or passed anti-DEI bills.
- New Anti-DEI Legislation Goes Into Effect in 4 States
- Republican states pass 17 anti-ESG laws, Democratic states pass 8 pro-ESG in 2024
- Stand by ESG? Our Annual State of U.S. Sustainability Reports
- The State of State ESG Activity as an Election Looms—a 2024 Mid-Year Review
- The State of Sustainability in 2024: DEI Will Survive
- States For or Against ESG Investing
- These States’ Anti-DEI Legislation May Impact Higher Education
- Walmart pulls back on DEI efforts, removes some LGBTQ merchandise from website.
- 2020 Census
- America’s News Influencers
- Call Her Daddy Podcast
- Discover Daily Podcast
- ‘Eras Tour Book’ Explained — Including Sales, Price, Errors And Reviews.
- Everything You Need to Know About Taylor Swift's Upcoming Eras Tour Book.
- Former CNN CEO Chris Licht: Viewers have 'lost trust' in legacy media.
- HarperCollins is asking authors to sell their books to the A.I. woodchipper.
- Joe Rogan Experience #2219 - Donald Trump.
- Legacy media grapples with declining influence.
- Particle.news
- Perplexity brings ads to its platform.
- Target Announces Exclusive Official 'Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Book' Available on Black Friday.
- Taylor Swift Is a Perfect Example of How Publishing Is Changing
- TAYLOR SWIFT’S ‘ERAS TOUR BOOK’ SELLS RECORD-BREAKING 814,000 COPIES IN JUST TWO DAYS.
- Vice President Kamala Harris.
- The Wall Street Journal is testing AI article summaries.
