Fluidity and Friction: An Experiment in Ethnographic Foresight

Ethnography can be a divining rod for the future. Though speculative, the study of cultural signals to seed foresight creates a rich, provocative perspective that is difficult to dismiss, even in an always-be-shipping business context. Our presentation is a journey into our team's nascent foresight practice and our discovery of a secular trend that is creating friction for all of us, and in particular, for organizations that depend on clear, rectified data. ‘Beyond Binary’ encapsulates the social sea-change taking place as identities are becoming increasingly fluid. Boundaries are dissolving, liminal spaces expanding. Language and meaning are being reclaimed, remade. We may be nearing the precipice of an organizational identity crisis. What are big data analytics in an era of mercurial data? How will we remake and recalibrate our tools and methods for understanding humanity at scale?