2018 has been a year of disruption. The exposé of Cambridge Analytica showed us a world of data mining, behavioural profiling and targeted fake news campaigns. The gender pay gap bill revealed that men are paid more than women at eight in 10 organisations.
Regrettably, the World Cup didn’t come home – but football did – as we celebrated the best performance since 1990 during the hottest summer on record. The country’s most eligible bachelor, Prince Harry was finally taken off the market. We’re yet to reach a deal on Brexit, the PM played Chequers while the EU played Chess.
Every year, Edelman UK hosts the Crystal Ball, which pulls together a panel of notable figures from culture and society, to business and politics to make their predictions on trends, stories and events that will drive the headlines in 2019. On Tuesday 4th December an impressive panel came together to gaze into the future of 2019.
This year’s line up included Helena Morrissey DBE, Head of Personal Investing, Legal & General and Founder, 30% Club; Stella Creasy MP, Labour MP for Walthamstow; Caryn Mandabach, Award Winning Television Producer, Roseanne, Peaky Blinders; Nimco Ali, Founder and Director, Daughters of Eve; Ed Williams, CEO, Edelman UK & Ireland. The discussion was moderated by Broadcaster Kirsty Wark.
Predictions include:
- A continued tussle between the establishment, mainstream politicians, business leaders and the rest.
- An evolution in gender equality.
- A change in how people give and do good by giving directly and avoiding big NGOs.
- Vagina-forward fashion will help bring down the numbers of FGM globally.
- Experts will be back in fashion, especially when it comes to fixing the worlds ills.
- Nothing will change for the BBC, their continued existence could be at risk.
- A data-focused shift in the continued corporatisation of television dramas.
- Identity politics will come to the fore.
- Cyber attacks will be on the rise.
- The economy will be in dire crisis due to personal debt.
- The sense of uncivil war in Britain will continue.
- Lab-grown meat will go mainstream.
- Voice activated devices will be the cause of a privacy scandal.
Watch the full livestream here: