Trends in modern-day American society

Solution Preview

1. What are the major trends in modern-day American society?

Modern-day trends have impacted the pharmacological health of American (this is taken from one source, listed in the end of the points).

1. Pace is speeding up - Due to our obsession with technology and efficiency everything is speeding up. Things involved here are computers, email, the Internet, globalization, mobile devices, and low cost travel. The result is 24/7 access to goods and services, multi-tasking, meals in minutes, hectic households, microwave mums, meals on the run, insecurity, one minute wins and individuals (and organizations) that want everything tomorrow. The outcome is stress, anxiety, a lack of sleep, a blurring of boundaries between work and home, work-life imbalance and, conversely, an interest in slowing things down.

2. Anxiety is on the rise - Wars are on the rise with approximately 40 wars in 35 countries going. Add terrorism and related stress and changes related to post 9/1 - the general feeling isn't going away. Trust has all but evaporated (people don't trust institutions like government or the police any longer) and the speed of change, together with technology that disempowers people, has left people longing for the past. Whether eighteen or eighty there is a general feeling of powerlessness amongst people. This results in an interest in nostalgia to the growth in narcissism, localization and tribalism. The economy is also creating a huge degree of anxiety.

3. Huge demographic change - "Demographics is the mother of all trends (or, as someone more eloquently once put it, ('demographics is destiny'). The big demographic shift is aging. In Europe 25% of the population is already aged 65+. Linked to this is the rise in single person households (46 million in Europe) caused by an increase of widows and widowers, but also caused by more people getting divorced and by people marrying later or not at all (42% of the US workforce is unmarried). Add a declining fertility rate (below the replacement rate in many developed nations) and you have a recipe for significant socio-economic change. Other linked trends include older parents, more one-parent families...and less traditional family units. In 1950, 80% of US households were the traditional 2 parent & kids nuclear family. Now the figure is 47%.... This could all change of course, but it's in the nature of demographic trends that change is usually slow in any given direction."(www.nowandnext.com/?action=top...trends...1)

4. Globalization vs. local - Globalization is obviously a huge trend but the future may be local. There is already evidence for this shift - is a major trend in everything from food to politics. However globalization is fairly long-term (and will run parallel to interests in all things local). However, resources have put people at their mercy, and they run out, i.e we may have little or no choice but to stop moving around globally, and adopt a more local way of life. This has already begun with finding other methods locally to replace ...