Culture After Covid: Survivalism
Edge Definition
Today, disaster feels imminent. Climate anxiety, looming financial crises, and political instability is driving consumers to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Now drastic problems require even more drastic solutions.
What will Survivalism look like post-pandemic?
Pre-COVID, “clean” was positioned as a form of natural wellness. “Clean beauty” and “clean eating" turned chemicals into the enemy. And Marie Kondo sold cleanliness as the path to mindfulness.
Then COVID-19 shocked the world into survival mode, waging the war against deadly germs. “Clean” reclaimed its role as an essential health standard—going from a “nice-to-have” to a “need-to-have.” From a private act to a public one. It was out with the gentle, all-natural cleaners, and in with the COVID-killing bleach.
The future of Survivalism will be driven by our collective “CLEAN-XIETY.” Hygiene culture will dictate our purchase decisions—making touch-free shopping, protective clothing, and virus-proof goods the norm. Customers will pay a premium for germ-free guarantees. And businesses will go to great lengths to prove they are prioritizing our protection—turning “cleanwashing” into the new “greenwashing.”
As sanitation becomes a shared responsibility, we’ll find peace of mind in public displays of hygiene. Cleanliness is the new way to show you care.
“Businesses from restaurants to office buildings to airlines will be going above and beyond to show customers that they’re keeping workers and guests as safe as possible. The cleaning boom is coming.”
What if…
01\ Businesses quantified their cleanliness? Taking the guesswork out of deciding what’s safe.
02\ ”Create-your-own clean” experiences became a new luxury?
03\ New innovations made disposable products more sustainable?
04\ New rewards systems incentivized cleanliness in the community?
05\ A new wave of “clean-fluencers” taught us how to live our cleanest life?
06\ The future of fashion was based on safety rather than style?
07\ Being the “cleanest brand” became a new badge of honor?