Brands need to embrace both the worry and promise of technology to win over consumers

It’s that time of year again when we marvel at new technology, reading with anticipation the product releases and live coverage of CES held each January.

While the average consumer might not purchase a Samsung Ballie robot or the new Lenovo rollable laptop, enough of the conversation trickles down into popular media to get people excited about what the future holds.

These kinds of new products aren’t the only factors that influence how we feel about technology — artificial intelligence certainly now plays an important role — as does the tech we use every day. But there’s a darker side to the conversation about its misuse, and a growing realisation that we don’t have as much control over technology as we thought we did.

In our most recent release of the Ipsos Global Trends, we called our tech trend ‘TechnoWonder’ to illustrate a tension we’ve seen growing, especially in the era of gen AI. On the positive side, people are in awe of tech and hopeful for what it can help us do. But, on the other hand, we’re worried about its impact, particularly on our mental health.

The wonder

At one end of the spectrum, there is genuine appreciation and hope for technology. We saw that 71% of global respondents in our study agreed that “we need modern technology because it can help us solve future problems”. In this context, problems could mean either big, societal issues that we need to tackle together, or smaller issues affecting individuals and communities.

On the smaller end, technology is enabling homeowners to detect water leaks when they’re not at home and helping communities fuel economic empowerment around the world. Stories abound of people using technology for positive outcomes, from artists and musicians using gen AI as a creative partner to robots serving as companions for the elderly.

What Nouveau Nihilism can teach brands about indulgence and consumer motivationsOn the larger end of the scale, new technologies have the potential to alleviate staffing shortages on healthcare systems and improve outcomes for patients, as described by Dr. Vin Gupta in a recent SXSW talk.

And a group of tech companies including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Salesforce have joined forces to create The Symbiosis Coalition, identifying and investing in carbon projects focused on nature restoration, and using technology to tackle projects that help address climate risk.

The worry

There is a growing concern, however, about the role that technology plays in our lives and the impact it’s having on our physical, mental and social wellbeing.

This is reflected in movements to reduce time on screens, get back to nature, and adopt dumb phones instead of smartphones. Studies have shown social media use, in particular, can have a serious impact on our mental health — which is why Australia is banning its use by minors and half of Britons believe a major social media network could soon be banned in the UK.

One might be tempted to think that generative AI is the driving factor behind this negative sentiment. That’s part of the landscape, to be sure, jobs and industries are being impacted, and valid questions are being raised about the long-term impact of its usage, ethics and biases.

But worry about technology has been around for much longer. We’ve been asking about it in our trends study for a decade now, and in that time we’ve seen a significant increase in the global sentiment that “I fear that technical progress is destroying our lives”, from 41% in 2013 to 56% in 2024.

What’s next

In foresight, we often look back in order to look ahead. Twenty years ago, the breakthrough era of social media and smartphones began when Facebook, Reddit and Twitter launched shortly before the iPhone, which was more readily adopted than the business-focused Blackberry.

Together, these devices and platforms radically reshaped the way we communicate and interact with one another. We look to our screens by default instead of interacting with others. We have the world at our fingertips, and zero impulse control.

Looking ahead, I think it’s reasonable to expect the next 20 years to be another seismic shift impacting human empathy, emotion, connection and control. We might fine tune how we use technologies and put guardrails around certain aspects, but we’re not suddenly going to give up the internet or hand over our devices. Can you even imagine!

Brands and marketers will need to navigate the continued tensions by keeping these concerns in mind, alleviating fears while highlighting the wonder of technology and AI. We’ve seen some great examples of this lately that can provide inspiration.

Take Apple, which was prescient in adapting their existing technology with ‘Hearing Health’ features for its AirPods Pro 2. Now, instead of being disconnected while wearing headphones, it means users are now more connected to those around them.

From ‘nouveau nihilism’ to ‘splintered societies’: Study identifies global trends for brandsThe feature offers the best of both worlds: reducing the stigma of seeming distant by having earbuds in, while still allowing the user to disconnect at any time and return to their music. The powerful emotion from that human connection is certainly evident in their Heartstrings ad that was in rotation over the festive period.

Ford is another example of a brand which has found success by demonstrating the benefits of relinquishing control. It has been advertising its driving experience with its Blue Cruise model, which like any other hands-free feature requires drivers to get over their fear of letting go of the steering wheel and place their faith in the technology.

Recent TV spots showed candid clips of drivers reacting with delight and others talking about how much joy they now find in their commutes, but the real winner was last summer’s partnership with the British Deaf Association in a sign-along spot. What other kinds of joy, inclusion and connection could we find by giving up some control?

As we enter the era of AI, we’re at an inflection point. We have the power to shape the future of technology to benefit us all – and brands and marketers have a big role to play in that process. We can optimise the benefits and mitigate the risks of TechnoWonder — if we think critically about balancing the two.