Discuss Museums & Society 2034: Trends and Potential Futures (Part I)
CFM commissioned this trends paper by Reach Advisors to promote a discussion about future trends that are likely to affect museums. We asked Reach Advisors to be edgy and provocative, and they have obliged. Sure, we hope that things will turn out fine without our active intervention, but do you really want to take that chance? Complacency breeds complacency, and thinking about potentially dark futures is a very effective motivator. Our hope is that this paper stimulates lively discussion, and we look forward to incorporating your input both into the forecasting, and into exploring how museums might respond. Working together we can help create a healthy, stable society in which every person has the leisure and ability to enjoy what museums have to offer.
Version 1.0 of the trends paper was published in December 2008. Now the authors have some additional ideas and evidence to share. These additions and your feedback will be incorporated into Version 2.0 of the paper, available later this year. We will be posting the paper in four sections overt he next few weeks. Please come back often to add your own comments and see what others have to say about these trends.
"The goal of forecasting is not to predict the future but to tell you what
you need to know to take meaningful action in the present."
you need to know to take meaningful action in the present."
—Paul Saffo, futurist
Oracle bones, Ouija boards, Tarot, crystal balls, tea leaves, Magic 8-Balls—humanity has always been obsessed with predicting the future. The unknown scares the pants off us, as well it might! Knowledge is power, and knowing what is coming around the corner would be immensely reassuring. Unfortunately, that isn't going happen. And predicting the future is not, in fact, the goal of futurism. We can't determine what will happen, but we can take a thoughtful look at what might happen, and the attendant consequences. This awareness of potential futures enables us to choose which future we most want to live in, and figure out how to bring it into being.CFM commissioned this trends paper by Reach Advisors to promote a discussion about future trends that are likely to affect museums. We asked Reach Advisors to be edgy and provocative, and they have obliged. Sure, we hope that things will turn out fine without our active intervention, but do you really want to take that chance? Complacency breeds complacency, and thinking about potentially dark futures is a very effective motivator. Our hope is that this paper stimulates lively discussion, and we look forward to incorporating your input both into the forecasting, and into exploring how museums might respond. Working together we can help create a healthy, stable society in which every person has the leisure and ability to enjoy what museums have to offer.
Version 1.0 of the trends paper was published in December 2008. Now the authors have some additional ideas and evidence to share. These additions and your feedback will be incorporated into Version 2.0 of the paper, available later this year. We will be posting the paper in four sections overt he next few weeks. Please come back often to add your own comments and see what others have to say about these trends.
Section I, "The Changing Face of America"—discuss it on this page
Section II, "A Smaller, Flatter World"—click here to discuss
Section III, "Permanent Revolution In Communications"—click here to discuss
Section IV, "myCulture"—click here to discuss
Section II, "A Smaller, Flatter World"—click here to discuss
Section III, "Permanent Revolution In Communications"—click here to discuss
Section IV, "myCulture"—click here to discuss
Here is the text for Part I of the report, "The Changing Face of America":
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Additional insights from the authors:
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