What will actually shape society by 2026—and which signals are already visible right now?

In this episode, generational futurist Ryan Vet explores how 2026 will arrive faster than we expect, why the pace of change is no longer linear but compounding, and why 2026 won’t be remembered as a year of answers but as a year of signals.

Rather than offering hype-driven futurist predictions, Ryan breaks down the deeper forces already reshaping society beneath the surface. Drawing on generational patterns, cultural history, and current data, he explains why artificial intelligence, trust erosion, education shifts, and widening cultural divides are not isolated trends but interconnected expressions of a larger recalibration already underway.

This conversation looks at what’s quietly changing now—and what that means for leaders, parents, educators, and institutions heading into 2026.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

AI in 2026
Why we’ve already crossed the AI tipping point, how adoption has accelerated faster than any prior technology, and why the most significant risk isn’t job loss—but how AI changes thinking, learning, reasoning, and problem-solving long before the effects are obvious.

Cognitive offloading and dependency
How everyday tools like GPS, voice assistants, and AI tutors slowly reduce cognitive effort, why each tradeoff feels harmless in isolation, and why friction is where learning actually happens. Ryan explains when assistance quietly becomes erosion—and why this matters more than automation.

Technology management, not technology debate
Why 2026 marks a shift from arguing whether technology is good or bad to learning how to manage dependency intentionally.

Education in 2026
Why credentials are losing influence, proof is replacing prestige, and learning models are fragmenting across public, private, hybrid, and alternative paths—and why demonstrated capability increasingly matters more than titles or degrees.

The contradiction shaping the next generation
Why parents and schools are restricting screens while AI adoption accelerates into classrooms, toys, learning platforms, and daily workflows—and the tension this creates for early development.

Trust, credibility, and leadership
How trust is eroding across generations, why credibility is becoming provisional, and why people increasingly place trust in individuals rather than institutions.

Cultural polarization beyond politics
Why polarization now extends far beyond political affiliation into workplaces, brands, leadership expectations, and everyday life.

The arrival of Gen Beta
What it means for a generation to grow up from day one in a world where AI is an assumed layer of reality—and how early formation is changing in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

This episode ultimately asks the harder questions:

What happens when assistance quietly becomes erosion?
When does convenience weaken capability?
How do you lead, teach, and parent intentionally in a world moving faster than refl

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Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com

What Gen Z’s relationship with Christmas reveals isn’t really about holiday greetings—it’s about the future of faith, belief, and institutional trust.

In this episode, generational futurist Ryan Vet explores a growing contradiction shaping Gen Z: belief in a higher power is rising, while participation in organized religion is collapsing. Drawing on data from Pew Research, the General Social Survey, Barna, Gallup, and Springtide Institute, Ryan explains why Gen Z is not becoming less spiritual—but far more selective about where and how belief shows up.

Is it okay to say Merry Christmas this year? Using Christmas as a cultural signal, Ryan unpacks why debates over saying “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays” are mostly noise, and what they reveal about a deeper generational shift. Beneath the surface is a widening divide between spirituality and religion, authenticity and performance, belief and institutions.

This episode explores:

• Why Gen Z belief in a higher power is increasing while church attendance declines
• How institutional skepticism—shaped by Gen X—resurfaced and intensified in Gen Z
• Why Gen Z is deeply allergic to hypocrisy and performative faith
• The surprising rise in Bible sales, increased commitment among churchgoing Gen Z, and a gender shift in attendance
• How spirituality is being reframed as mental health, grounding, and self-connection rather than doctrine

Through a futurist lens, Ryan explains why Gen Z is not indifferent to faith—but polarized. Some are doubling down with conviction and consistency, while others are opting out entirely, often because organized religion feels inauthentic or misaligned with lived values.

The defining question of this moment isn’t how we greet customers in December.
It’s whether belief systems—religious, institutional, or cultural—can hold together under scrutiny.

If you’re interested in:

• Gen Z and religion
• Spirituality vs organized religion
• Generational change and cultural polarization
• Faith, authenticity, and institutional trust
• What Christmas reveals about belief and belonging

…this conversation will challenge how you see both the data and the deeper signal underneath it.

🎧 Listen now and vote in this week’s Your Perspective poll.

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Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com

We’re building technology faster than we’re asking questions, and this time, the danger may be silent.

In this episode, generational futurist and leadership speaker Ryan Vet explores how society has historically responded to new technology—from television and video games to smartphones and social media—and why artificial intelligence is fundamentally different. Using real-world examples, generational research, and cultural patterns, Ryan breaks down why previous technologies gave us time to react, debate, overcorrect, and recalibrate—and why AI will not.

Ryan examines how social media became the ultimate babysitter, how visibility disappeared as screens moved from living rooms to pockets, and why isolation—not content—is the real threat facing kids and teens today. He connects rising adolescent anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges to algorithmic systems that shape identity in private, individualized ways no generation has ever experienced before.

Most importantly, this episode asks the harder question leaders, parents, and policymakers can’t afford to ignore:
What scene will we walk into a year from now and barely recognize if we keep reacting instead of leading?

If you care about:

• Artificial intelligence and society
• Social media’s impact on kids and mental health
• Generational behavior and cultural shifts
• Leadership in the age of rapid technological change
• Parenting, technology, and the future of human connection

…this conversation is for you.

🎧 Listen now, head over to https://collide.ryanvet.com to vote in this week’s Your Perspective poll and see how others are thinking about AI, kids, and the future.

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Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com

Are today’s kids truly more fragile or did our culture unintentionally weaken resilience over the past three decades? In this episode of The Ryan Vet Show, generational futurist Ryan Vet explores how a well-intentioned “safety-first” culture, shifting emotional language, and always-on technology reshaped childhood and changed how young people experience risk, discomfort, and adversity.

Through stories, research, and generational analysis, Ryan uncovers how psychological safety, overprotective parenting, and media-driven fear created environments where children avoided the very experiences that build confidence, independence, and anti-fragility. This episode examines why Gen Z and younger generations often struggle with conflict and uncertainty—and what parents, leaders, and educators can do to rebuild resilience.

What you’ll hear in this episode:
• How the rise of psychological safety changed childhood
• Why new emotional language (“unsafe,” “triggered,” “harmful”) reshaped expectations
• The impact of smartphones, constant monitoring, and tech-enabled parenting
• How media fear cycles amplified parental anxiety
• The difference between fragile, resilient, and anti-fragile development
• Why removing discomfort leads to long-term consequences
• What risky play teaches that structured environments can’t
• How cultural pendulums influence generational behavior
• Practical steps to help kids grow stronger, not weaker

This episode is for parents, teachers, coaches, mental health professionals, leaders, and anyone trying to understand the generational shifts shaping today’s youth. If you’re curious about childhood development, resilience, psychology, or generational change, you’ll find this conversation both eye-opening and hopeful.

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Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com

This year’s Black Friday broke records—$11.8 billion spent online in a single day—but the real story isn’t the number. It’s how we spent it.

In this episode of The Ryan Vet Show, Ryan reads his latest essay from his newsletter, Collide, exploring a fascinating new shift in consumer behavior: the moment AI quietly became the world’s most influential holiday shopper.

From AI gift-finding agents like Amazon’s Rufus and Walmart’s Sparky…
to the rise of Buy Now, Pay Later…to Gen Z and Gen Alpha shaping family purchases before they can even spell “algorithm”…this holiday season revealed something deeper: every generation is rewriting what it means to shop, give, and celebrate.

In this episode, Ryan unpacks:

📌 What Black Friday 2025 Really Revealed

• AI-driven retail traffic up 805% year over year
• Why we’re buying fewer items at higher prices
• How algorithms, not aisles, are now shaping gift discovery

📌 The Generational Pendulum of Gift-Giving

• Silent Generation thrift and homemade gifts
• Boomer abundance and “the overflowing tree” era
• Gen X caught between stuff and experiences
• Millennials pushing gifting toward memory-making
• Gen Z and Gen Alpha: the experience-first, algorithm-shaped generations

📌 Gen Z and Gen Alpha: The New Holiday Powerhouses

• Why Gen Z plans to cut budgets more than any other generation
• Why same-day delivery is becoming the norm
• Gen Alpha already influencing over $100 billion in household spending
• How targeted ads and platform algorithms shape kids’ gift requests

📌 AI + BNPL + Same-Day Delivery = The New Consumer Formula

• Why AI is now the top discovery engine for holiday shopping
• The psychological shift behind “Buy Now, Pay Later”
• Why this combination creates last-minute shoppers with long-term financial consequences

📌 Where We’re Heading Next

We’re moving into an era where:

• Experiences matter more than merchandise
• Purchasing decisions are mediated by algorithms
• Youngest generations influence spending earlier than ever
• Skepticism toward AI gift recommendations will grow
• The Great Junk Transfer is reshaping how families think about “stuff”

Holiday shopping is no longer driven by catalogs, commercials, or store aisles.
It’s driven by prompts… algorithms… and kids who swipe long before they shop.

This episode offers a fascinating look at how the holidays—and generations—are changing right before our eyes.

Join Ryan on LinkedIn, Instagram, or subscribe to his YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers.

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Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com

Thanksgiving used to be about turkey, travel, and tradition.
Today, it’s becoming a litmus test for where families stand and in many cases, why they’re falling apart.

In this episode, Ryan Vet breaks down the quiet generational rebellion happening around the holiday table. Drawing from his widely read COLLIDE article and insights shared at ThinQ, Ryan explores why family estrangement is rising, why Gen Z is more likely to skip family gatherings, and how psychological safety, boundaries, and “toxic family” language are redefining what it means to belong.

You’ll hear the stat from psychotherapist Matthias Barker that stunned the ThinQ audience:

From Chandler Bing’s Thanksgiving dread to Gen Z’s emotional safety checklist, this episode explains the cultural forces reshaping family, identity, and holiday traditions. It’s not about blaming any generation; it’s about understanding why the family structure is shifting and what that means for all of us this holiday season.

If you’ve ever felt tension walking into a family gathering, wondered why someone stopped showing up, or sensed that Thanksgiving “doesn’t feel the same anymore,” this conversation will connect the dots.

🔥 What You’ll Learn

• Why family estrangement is becoming mainstream
• The Generational Prism and how each generation interprets conflict
• Why Gen Z prioritizes psychological safety over tradition
• How social media therapy normalizes going “no contact”
• Why Millennials often feel caught between duty and boundaries
• The shift from “family first” to “identity first”
• How the holiday table reveals the future of the American family

📰 Want more conversations like this?

Subscribe to COLLIDE, Ryan’s weekly newsletter on generational leadership, cultural change, and the future of how we live and work:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com/

It’s where the deeper insights live and where every episode starts.

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Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com

The United States just minted its final penny and its quiet disappearance says far more about our future than you think. In this episode of The Ryan Vet Show, Ryan reads his eye-opening article on what the end of America’s oldest coin reveals about every living generation, from the Silent Generation to Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and even Gen Beta.

This is not just a story about money, it’s a story about how each generation redefined value, work, trust, and wealth.

You’ll discover:
• Why Boomers embraced abundance, credit, and the American Dream
• Why Gen X grew skeptical and financially cautious
• Why Millennials built the subscription-based life
• Why Gen Z sees money as instant, digital, and fluid
• How Gen Alpha will reshape work, spending, and earning
• Why Gen Beta may never touch physical cash at all

If you’re curious about the future of money, cashless economies, generational behavior, AI-driven work, or how Gen Z and Gen Alpha think about wealth, this episode is a must-listen.

About Ryan Vet

Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker who has spoken to audiences on five continents. His work explores generational dynamics, cultural shifts, and the forces shaping the future of work and leadership. Ryan’s insights have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS, and his research reaches hundreds of thousands of leaders each year.

Join the Newsletter

For weekly insights on culture, generations, and the future of work, join Ryan’s newsletter at https://collide.ryanvet.com. It’s where he shares fresh research, practical leadership tools, and early access to new episodes and articles.

Send us a text

Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com