What will happen in 2015? No one know for certain, of course (except maybe that the universe will continue to expand). But I won’t let that stop me from making some guesses about what the next year (and beyond) will look like for the introvert community as a whole.
2015 will bring us some interesting research studies on introversion and extraversion. There will be lots more talk about the Big Five, particularly the theorized facets of introversion and extraversion.
With a little help from the petition that Introvert Dear and I are running, the term introvert will become less synonymous with the term shy. Introverts and Extroverts who are shy, highly sensitive, or have social anxiety will be able to learn a lot more about themselves. We may also see the very beginnings of an “ambivert revolution.” Whether this will be the case or not, it’s possible there will be fewer listicles about introversion than the past two years, and more listicles about shy extroverts and ambiverts.
We’ll also see a lot more products and services produced directly for introverts. We may even start to see these isolation pods in the office or public spaces.
Although there will continue to be “Hi, my name is ___ and I’m an introvert” articles written, I think 2015 will see a growth of articles talking about the specific issues, and corresponding solutions, that many introverts are faced with. Hopefully this means more in-depth articles.
One of my big worries for 2015 is that as people continue to become more engrossed in their electronic devices we’ll start to see a greater divide between the generations, and about how the younger generations are spending more time in front of their devices and not in front of their friends. I don’t know how it will all play out in the end, but it may be that non-social introverts will be caught in the middle, and we’ll see the continued pathologizing of people who don’t socialize as much as “they should.”
As far as Introvertology is concerned, I hope to bring you more classes in 2015, more in-depth articles, and more collaborations with other introvert thought leaders.
Onwards!
(now where can I buy one of those isolation pods…)
