Signals

Australia – The countertop hydroponic garden rotates plants in order to speed up growth.

Rotofarm by Bace uses rotary hydroponics to turn plants full circle every hour, which means they spend half their time in negative gravity. The device, which is small enough to fit on a kitchen counter, works without soil, using mess-free nutrients and water reservoirs to feed the plants. It will be unveiled on Kickstarter in September 2019.

‘By growing produce at home without preservatives or pesticides, the produce doesn't expire until it’s cut, you're not spending as much money on groceries and a lot of space is saved in your refrigerator,’ Toby Farmer, founder of Bace, tells Dezeen. ‘Perhaps most importantly, we help to reduce carbon emissions produced by mass-farming, transport and plastic packaging in supermarkets.’

To see why an increasing urban population means that the ingredients of the future will be grown in our own homes, read our microtrend New Urban Farms.

India – The video platform has released an awareness campaign to encourage users to think twice about the ramifications of what they post.

For the campaign, Wait A Sec to Reflect, TikTok worked with the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) to execute a digital literacy programme focused on the usage of user-generated content platforms. For its first phase, the brands will conduct awareness workshops among consumers across key cities in India.

The accompanying campaign films draw attention to the possible negative results of posting something unpleasant on TikTok, such as a risky dance move or offensive statement. ‘The internet today is dominated by youth from smaller towns across the country, many of whom are experiencing the digital world for the first time through their smartphones,’ says Osama Manzar, founder of DEF. ‘The aim of our partnership is to build a conscious community of digital natives who will help spread the message of creating a safe and positive online environment.’

As internet penetration grows across India, leading to a rise in cyberbullying, media brands have a responsibility to step in and teach the importance of sensitivity online.

Global rates of underage drinking are on the decline. A new study from the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) has found that underage consumption of alcohol has dropped in two-thirds of the 63 countries surveyed.

The study cites increased staff training in the UK, changing attitudes to alcohol in Sweden and education levels in the US as factors that have contributed to the decline. However, the countries with the largest dip were Lithuania, New Zealand and Slovakia, which fell by 29 percentage points, 18 percentage points and 11 percentage points, respectively, while 19 countries did not show a decline, and eight saw no change, including India and Mongolia.

For more on Generation Z’s evolving attitudes to health, wellness and hedonism, read our Anxiety Rebellion macrotrend.