The theme for 2026 will be “Reimagining Resilience: Empowering Local Communities in a Time of Uncertain Federal Support.” How can state and local actors prepare, withstand, recover, and adapt better in the face of increasingly severe natural disasters as Federal funds are being cut or redirected? Some initial focus areas are Helene-impacted regions and Puerto Rico, with possible extensions elsewhere, such as Maui and Los Angeles.
Laboratory5’s Applied Futures Lab will be represented at this event with our partners at Content Evolution. If you are in DC April 12- 14, swing by and say hi to Kevin Clark, President of Content Evolution.
Cyber Monday arrives each year with the same choreography: bold countdowns, a tidal wave of “last chance” messaging, and the familiar undertow of engineered urgency. It’s not subtle. It’s not supposed to be. These systems are built to keep attention narrowed, choices accelerated, and clicks flowing.
This year, a social media trend has been circulating the idea that if you load up your online cart and walk away, you can somehow “hurt” the corporations. It’s framed as a tiny act of rebellion, a wink at the machine. A digital version of folding your arms and saying, “Not today.”
It feels good. It’s clever. And it’s not how the system works.
What an Abandoned Cart Really Is
Leaving items in an online cart doesn’t take money from any corporate pocket. Nothing is manufactured on your behalf. No worker is asked to re-shelve anything. No stockroom shifts. There is no wound.
Your hesitation becomes something else entirely: a data point.
Retailers expect high abandonment rates. They build their systems around it. They study it. They use it. Teams spend their days analyzing where you paused, what you clicked, and what might convert you next time.
An abandoned cart doesn’t make the machine flinch; instead, it fuels it.
What Happens Behind the Screens
Here’s the actual chain reaction when you walk away:
Your hesitation is logged as behavioral insight, not sabotage. Automated marketing begins: reminders, follow-up emails, the ads that trail you online. Nothing is held or reserved; inventory carries on untouched. A few dashboards dip slightly, but the system keeps humming.
It’s ordinary, predictable, expected.
So if the abandoned cart isn’t a blow to corporate greed, why does the trend resonate so strongly right now?
The Symbolism Matters
People are feeling squeezed – by inflation, by relentless sales cycles, by a culture that treats buying as participation. Cyber Monday has become less about deals and more about a yearly behavioral ritual built to trigger speed over intention.
The impulse to push back, even symbolically, tells a story.
It says: I notice the tactics. I feel the pressure. And I’m not sure I want to play anymore.
That instinct is important. But the meaningful resistance doesn’t live in the cart. It lives in the pause.
Where Real Resistance Shows Up
If people want to shift the landscape, there are pressure points that actually matter:
Choosing to buy less – as a practice, not a holiday exception. Supporting small and local businesses where your money has a visible impact. Buying used, borrowing, repairing, and trading. Curating experiences instead of accumulation. Treating attention as a resource, not something to hand over every time a company rings the bell.
These choices move markets. They reshape incentives. They influence how future systems are built.
A Strange Mirror for the Season
Cyber Monday reveals a lot about modern systems: one massive, coordinated effort to shape behavior. But it also reveals the counterforce of millions of small moments where people hesitate, question, or step back.
The abandoned cart trend won’t topple corporate greed. It was never going to. But it points toward something more compelling: the quiet rise of awareness.
People are beginning to see the machinery. They’re noticing the pressure. And they’re reclaiming the right to choose their own pace.
Corporations don’t fear abandoned carts. They fear consumers who stop playing by their script.
Cyndi Coon is a time traveler and rule-bender, nerding out for good using data, science and curious questions as an Applied Futurist, author, creative, ecosystem builder, facilitator, producer, researcher, storyteller and publisher for: governments, the military, higher education, private partnerships, enterprise, and industry. Cyndi is the Founder and Principal Futurist at Applied Futures Lab, Founder of Laboratory5, and Co-founder of Arizona State University’s Threatcasting Lab and Press, and is the co-founder atThreatcasting.ai. Cyndi is the co-author of Threatcasting (2021), Futurecasting (2026) and the author of numerous reports, articles and book chapters. Founder and Publisher at Turkey Hill Press.She is an Affiliate at the Center for Emergency Management & Homeland Security. Chief Media Officer for Content Evolution. She leads the i4j (global innovation for jobs workforce) and Coolabilities communities, promoting inclusive and forward-thinking solutions. She is a Web 3 advisor and aFuture AI Mindset expert. Connect with Cyndi atApplied Futures LabLinktree orLinkedIn.
Technological advancements are continuously reshaping our world, and one of the most intriguing developments in the future of creativity is the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As an Applied Futurist, I’ve closely observed and engaged with this evolution, and I’m excited to share my perspective on how AI is revolutionizing the creative landscape.
AI’s role in the arts and creativity is transformative, serving as a collaborator that enhances my own human potential rather than replacing it. I am in no way afraid of this technology. I can see and feel the fear from other creatives who go immediately to “This is going to replace us.” It isn’t. Whenever new technology creeps into the human experience, we go straight to fear and survival. When photography first came out as a medium the Fine Artists with a capital FA, yelled and wouldn’t allow photographs in shows, they were concerned what would happen with art if one artist could make copies of their work and sell it many times over. Today, we don’t talk about photographs in that way because we realize that creatives will still create. Movies were exciting but caused a big stir in the theatre community as they thought no one would ever go to the theatre again if you could just record the actors and play the film at any time to any audience. Mathaleticians were up in arms when the calculator came out. Convinced that people would no longer do math because the calculator would cheat for them. Does all of this sound familiar to today’s rhetoric about AI?
Here’s the thing: AI does have dangerous sides, dark sides, and deep web possibilities. There is plenty to fear about the future of AI, but I would ask – What can you control? Do you have a degree in cyber security or work in the intelligence field? If your answer is no, then the very best thing you can do, as a creative or not, is to jump in. Get informed, educated and familiar with these tools. We can jump up and down all we want, but they are not going away. Learning them is our individual path for the future.
AI is not taking over the creative process, but instead is augmenting and amplifying human ingenuity. From the perspective of an artist, imagine having a partner who never tires, continually bringing new ideas to the table, and expanding the limits of your imagination. AI is redefining the traditional boundaries of creativity. It’s not just about creating art or writing stories; it’s about venturing into unexplored territories of creativity. With its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, spot trends, and synthesize information rapidly, AI enables artists to move swiftly from concept to prototype, tailoring creative outputs to specific tastes and preferences.
One of the most exciting aspects of AI in creativity is its democratizing effect. AI tools are becoming more accessible, allowing people from all walks of life to engage in creative activities. Whether you are a seasoned artist or a novice, AI levels the playing field, providing tools that assist in the creative process and making art more inclusive and diverse.
TI have been hanging out in AI play spaces where people from all different disciplines are gathering to connect and play, to experiment and to ask curious questions together. From one of these groups I came to meet seven amazing humans who are all on this journey and we decided to map it – together. We started by each writing down our experiences to date as we have engaged in AI. We create an anthology together as round one. It is called AI Futures An Anthology. Our next steps will be to video nd audio record our chapters and use those inside AI to create more things. It is an exciting play space to explore.n
As an Applied Experiential Futurist, I invite you to consider how AI can enhance your creative or professional work. Whether it’s through an AI-assisted design project, a data-driven marketing campaign, or an AI-curated educational curriculum, the opportunities are endless.
How will you embrace AI in your creative journey? Share your thoughts, and let’s continue to explore this exciting frontier together.
For more insights into the future of AI and creativity, visit Applied Futures Lab. To discuss these concepts further or get personalized guidance, connect with Cyndi Coon, on LinkedIn.
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