FYI Unscripted.
Unscripted. People went off script. 7 cultural signals reshaping purchases, careers, consumption, intimacy, public life and stories. Read online in English; original PDF in Spanish.
01. Who Works for Whom
Who does the agent work for? People have already handed an AI the keys to their wallet.
What we took for granted: The customer shops and pays in person.
On September 8, Meta launched Muse: an assistant that reads email, shops and pays on its owner's behalf, including through WhatsApp.
The evidence
- Meta launched Muse, which can read email, shop and pay for its user.
- An employee described his assistant as present during his honeymoon.
Which agent would shoppers choose?
- Independent agent: 64%
- Store or brand agent: 7%
German consumers. The cited responses do not represent every option.
The Uncommon question
When a customer sends an agent to shop, who is the brand selling to?
02. The Zigzag Life
Life zigzags. The ladder fell away, and ambition is finding another route.
What we took for granted: Careers move up in a straight line.
In the United States, applications to business master's programs fell 25% in 2026.
The evidence
- −25% applications to business master's programs in 2026.
- Nearly 9 in 10 young Americans have explored learning a trade.
The Uncommon question
If almost nobody lives in a straight line, how many products are still designed for one?
03. The End of More
The craving is fading. A medicine has turned down consumption's engine.
What we took for granted: To sell more, brands have to tempt people more.
In the United States, 51% of people using Ozempic-type drugs drink less soda and 44% buy more functional beverages. 72% changed clothing size and 46% changed brands.
The evidence
- 51% of users of these drugs drink less soda; 44% buy more functional beverages.
- 72% changed clothing size; 46% changed brands.
U.S. adults who have tried an Ozempic-type drug
- 2024: 8%
- 2026: 21%
2033 forecast: 35–40%. The original range is retained; no midpoint or uncertainty interval has been inferred.
The Uncommon question
If some customers already want less, how does the brand grow?
04. The Anti-Drop
Not buying is the new drop. Consumerism's hangover now has a community, hashtag and date.
What we took for granted: Buying what's in fashion is how you belong.
47% of Gen Z in the United States take part in or consider a no-buy challenge, and #nobuy has passed 30,000 TikTok posts.
The evidence
- 47% of Gen Z in the United States take part in or consider a no-buy challenge.
- 30,000+ #nobuy posts on TikTok.
The Uncommon question
If not buying earns pride, what reason does the brand give that customer to choose it?
05. Synthetic Intimacy
Synthetic intimacy. 1 in 4 people already opens their heart to a machine.
What we took for granted: Intimacy is shared between humans.
BABYQUEEN is a Chinese pop group made with AI.
The evidence
- 6M+ views of BABYQUEEN's announcement about a member's pregnancy.
- 72% of U.S. teens have used an AI companion; 52% use one regularly.
The Uncommon question
If a customer tells a brand's assistant a secret, what does the company do with that trust?
06. Fiction Is the Commons
Fiction is the new public square. People gather, create and protest there.
What we took for granted: Public life happens out on the street.
Backrooms began as a strange photo on an online forum.
The evidence
- 550,000 people joined student-led protests in France carrying a slogan from The Hunger Games.
- 8.5M+ users joined the Jonas Brothers concert inside Roblox within minutes.
The Uncommon question
If people already live and protest inside fiction, what world is the brand building?
07. The Cliffhanger Economy
The telenovela is back in vertical. Now the next minute costs money.
What we took for granted: Stories that hook people last for hours.
These are made-for-mobile soap operas: every episode lasts 1 to 3 minutes and ends on a cliffhanger.
The evidence
- 44M monthly active users in Brazil and Mexico in 2025: 24M and 20M, respectively.
- +170% year-over-year growth in microdrama app downloads in Mexico, led by DramaBox and ReelShort.
Global microdrama revenue
- 2026: US$14,000M
- 2031 · forecast: ~US$25,000M
US dollars, millions. The 2031 value is a forecast with no published uncertainty range.
The Uncommon question
If 1 minute hooks harder than 2 hours, what story would someone pay the brand to keep telling?
Which part of the script needs rewriting?
What part of the business still works only because the customer has not stepped off script yet?
Download the report (original PDF in Spanish) · Let’s talk
Data and reference sources in the report!