Ep 177: Fewer Kids But More Sexy Underwear?

Episode 177: Are We Designing a Better Life — or Just an Easier One? What happens when there are fewer young people, more of us are staying home, and new technology starts changing everything from what we eat to the names we give our children? This week, Ger, Niamh and Rob join me to dig into some fascinating statistics about how society is changing. We look at declining birth rates and what an ageing population could mean for the future of work, innovation and who supports older generations. We also explore the rise in social isolation among young people, why Friday nights aren't as social as they once were, and whether Netflix, TikTok, gaming and food delivery have simply made staying at home too good. Then we get into the GLP-1 revolution: if millions of people start eating less and losing weight, what happens to fast food, fashion, healthcare and the wider economy? Finally, we look at the extraordinary decline of the name Karen — and how memes and the internet can take something completely ordinary and permanently change its cultural meaning. Are we consciously choosing how our lives are changing, or is the world around us quietly changing our behaviour?