Trends & Signals
Technology & Society
Explore the latest insights, thought leadership, and research from FCAT®
A Conversation with Rhaina Cohen: Author of The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship
July 16, 2025
Journalist and author, Rhaina Cohen, recently joined FCAT to discuss the power of deeply committed friendships to those who prioritize non-romantic relationships.
Ask an FCAT Researcher: Anjali Lai on Parenting in the 21st Century
June 27, 2025
“Parents potentially need different kinds of guidance for their financial planning, both when they are preparing for a child and then later, as they support them through life.”
A Conversation with J. Doyne Farmer: Author of Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World
May 14, 2025
In his most recent book, Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World, J. Doyne Farmer presents a carefully researched and lucidly written argument showing how complex systems science and agent-based modeling can revolutionize economics.
Ask an FCAT Researcher: Anjali Lai on the New Gender Gaps
September 12, 2024
“…Men and women may be separating financial accounts in new ways because they have different goals in life and different ideas about how to fund their ambitions.”
Ask an FCAT Researcher: Deanna Laufer on Shrinking Families
June 18, 2024
Deanna Laufer leads FCAT’s research efforts around what we call the “Next America” — focusing on how we work, play, raise families, and experience aging — and the ways in which these trends are constantly evolving.
Ask an FCAT Researcher: Anjali Lai on the Digital Afterlife
May 10, 2024
FCAT researchers work to frame the future, documenting trends and taking inventory of the technologies expected to shape the next five years. Recently, researcher Anjali Lai has been delving into the issues around the massive amounts of data we leave behind after we’re gone from this world: What happens to it? Who controls it—and most importantly, who has the right to it?
The Muse and The Canvas: The Evolving Interplay of Social Trends and Tech
April 25, 2024
Key Takeaways Younger generations are turning to social media for more than connection, now utilizing the platforms for career and financial guidance. The
The Secret World of the Overemployed
February 6, 2024
Working multiple jobs is nothing new. To make ends meet, or boost their savings cushion, more than 8 million Americans work extra hours, second jobs, and side hustles.1 But around 2021, as job availability soared and remote work ruled, the internet became inundated with stories of something new: full-time employees, mostly remote and in engineering roles, secretly working two, three, or sometimes numerous career positions at different companies.2 And it’s not always out of necessity. These overemployed, or “double dippers,” are often motivated by:
The Income Mosaic
January 25, 2024
Income has been synonymous with employer income for the majority of working-age Americans over the last 100 years. Most adults work for a living, and the vast majority of those who do work for an employer. But that’s changing. Employer income is playing a less dominant role for Americans as they’ve diversified their income sources into a mosaic of ways to earn money.
Curious Minds: A Conversation with Dani S. Bassett and Perry Zurn
December 11, 2023
In their most recent book, Curious Minds: The Power of Connection, Dani S. Bassett, J. Peter Skirkanich Professor of Bioengineering and Physics at the University of Pennsylvania, and Perry Zurn, Provost Associate Professor of Philosophy at American University, explore how curiosity works and how we can improve the practice of curiosity in our own lives. Recently, John Dalton, VP of Research at FCAT, had a chance to speak with Dani and Perry about their research.