What’s on the Horizon?

010 ⎟ The Futurist Edit

Hello Futurist,

I talk a lot about signals here, for good reason. They’re the earliest signs of change, often small and scattered, but when read together, they can reveal where culture, markets, and people are heading. Today’s tool is built for exactly that: spotting those early clues before they become obvious.

Here’s what’s inside this issue:

• The Tool: Horizon Scanning, what it is, how it works, and why it’s essential for anyone thinking beyond the short term.

• Step Into the Future: we apply the tool to a live question: how is masculinity evolving in Western culture?

• Back to the Present: 3 strategic takeaways you can use right now, grounded in the signals we’ve explored.

Let’s jump right in.

THE TOOL

✦ What Are We Talking About? ✦

Horizon Scanning is a structured way of looking out into the world and asking: what’s starting to change? And what might that mean for us later?

You can think of it as a radar for the future. It doesn’t give hard predictions, but it helps notice the early signs (the weak signals) that something is shifting. These could be new behaviours, unexpected trends, small innovations, or even oddball ideas just beginning to surface. Some will fade. Others might grow into the next big thing.

This tool has been used by governments, companies, and organisations like the UN to inform big-picture strategy. It’s not just about spotting trends, it’s about developing the habit of paying attention differently.

✦ How It Works ✦

There’s no one-size-fits-all recipe, but here’s a common path:

1. Get clear on what you’re scanning for.
   Before beginning, you need a frame. What are you trying to understand? Maybe it’s what might change in consumer behavious in the next 5 years? or what could affect your industry by 2040? A good, focused question helps guide your search.

2. Start collecting signals.
   This is the heart of it. You gather data, news stories, social media threads, research papers, startup pitches, unusual partnerships, shifts in language, grassroots movements. You can use tools like PESTE or STEEP (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political) to think beyond your own blind spots.

3. Interpret and filter.
   Once you’ve got a good amount of possible signals, the next move is to sift. What stands out? What seems novel, significant, or surprising? Not everything will make the cut. That’s okay. You’re hunting for the seeds of future change.

4. Make sense of what you’ve found.
   Look for patterns. Are certain ideas popping up in multiple places? Can you cluster signals into bigger emerging themes?

✦ Why It Matters ✦

Horizon Scanning is about training our attention. For professionals who want to think ahead, it offers real strategic value and help us:

• Stay alert to the first signs of change, whether cultural, technological, or behavioural, while they’re still under the radar.

• Get a clearer view of what's coming so we can respond early and avoid being caught off guard.

• Spot the gaps, shifts, and soft signals that hint at future demand or innovation spaces.

• Strengthen our ability to work with uncertainty, think longer-term, and see beyond our usual field of view.

STEP INTO THE FUTURE

Now, it’s time to put the tool into action. Like any good scan, this one starts with a question, and today, what I’m exploring is this::

How is the concept of masculinity evolving in Western culture?

It’s a big one. But the signs are everywhere. In how men speak, where they gather, the tools they build, and the stories they tell. What follows is a handful of signals I came across, not a full map, but a glimpse into the cultural edges worth watching: