Escapism: are we increasingly escaping from reality?

The word escapism has become more and more relevant in our foresight studies. Escapism tells us about how people increasingly escape from the real world. It could be through any media; books, films, role plays… and new technologies enable us to hide faster and deeper. Gaming has become a dominant part of life for many youngsters and so has gambling, pornography and drugs for others. In a troublesome world we hide from what hurts and seek instant satisfaction. As the speed of change increases, adversity becomes more frequent. And the speed of change increases exponentially. Publishing companies adjust their products to it. People want entertainment, reality shows, action, virtual worlds and so forth.

As counter forces we observe more focus on “the meaning of life”, mindfullness, presence, simple living, yoga etc.