And now – Nowism

Instant gratification is nothing new. For years, we’ve had instant coffee, microwave ovens and FedEx. Today’s attention-deficit-disordered generation has taken this institutionalized impatience even further with iPhones and BlackBerrys — the information superhighway is right at our fingertips. With iTunes we can find any song, movie or TV show as soon as we want it — then put it on our iPhone to take wherever we go. And digital cameras — remember film?

Now comes a social movement called Nowism. According to trendwatching.com:

Consumers’ ingrained lust for instant gratification is being satisfied by a host of novel, important (offline and online) real-time products, services and experiences. Consumers are also feverishly contributing to the real-time content avalanche that’s building as we speak. As a result, expect your brand and company to have no choice but to finally mirror and join the ‘now’, in all its splendid chaos, realness and excitement.

Nowism is hot — companies such as Details are creating walk stations that let you exercise while you work. The Shazam app lets your iPhone analyze a song on the radio, tell you the name and artist, show you where you can buy it and give you the option to purchase on the spot. These are just two examples — more and more companies are cashing in by meeting the demands of an increasingly restless public. But, as with all trends, Nowism will eventually be relegated to “Then-ism.” What will replace it? And how will you make it work for you?