Dopamine Culture

👉 This is part of The Pervasive Now

Welcome to the era of instant gratification, where our every swipe, click and purchase is driven by the pursuit of that quick hit of pleasure, wired deep in our brain’s chemistry.

Culture Crunch

In the cultural food chain, distraction rules. Swiping, scrolling, ceaseless activity. And industries of all kinds are designing experiences to get you hooked. Dopamine has gone from the reward to the blueprint for society. Formats and interactions are getting shorter. From symphony to trending sound. From Shakespeare to 15 seconds.

The sticky vocab of micro-trends

The ephemeral nature of social trends means that creators are trying harder and harder to coin the next one - and with it, quirky new phrases designed to latch onto your brain: maybe you’re an almond mom, or embrace loud budgeting. Ultra-fast fashion giant Shein is maxing this vocabulary too, tagging clothing with ‘trending’ labels from a swathe of micro trends from RomCom Core, Plaza Core to Dopamine Dressing.