Every year, we discuss our annual predictions and reflect on the previous year’s wins and losses, but we’ve captured them here for Future Commerce Plus members. If you want to listen while you read, you can do so on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
In 2025, institutional trust reached record lows.
Our collective belief in politicians, healthcare, tech, and even in the economy was challenged by algorithmic misinformation, rage baiting, and our very real, firsthand experiences with unemployment, food insecurity, and financial constraints.
In the past, we have negotiated with systems, haphazardly following them because that was simply the only option we thought we had. However, in 2026, consumers will replace them, using technology and intuition to shape a new reality.
Across commerce, media, health, technology, and work, trust in institutions has eroded beyond the point of reform. Consumers will no longer outsource decisions to brands, experts, platforms, or governments. Our 2026 predictions point to the same conclusion: autonomy and sovereignty are now default expectations. We are now in the era of self-rule.
“2026 is the year consumers and companies stop relying on institutions and start relying on themselves.”
