Out There: The Soft Life, Robot Friends and EVs

Day 11 of January, which also feels like day 173. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new year, it’s a new life for us… and we’re feeling meh. The narrative of new year transformation has been pushed hard by brands selling us detox juices, turmeric supplements, crossfit classes, manifestation workshops, personal brand coaching, AI everything and anything that will make us more productive, more beautiful, healthier and wealthier, because we can never be or have enough. And everyone around me is pretty much over it.

We’re wintering. We’re curling up on the sofa, under an electric blanket with a good paperback. We’re drinking exciting teas to chill playlists. We’re vision boarding, not holding ourselves accountable to pie-in-the-sky resolutions. We’re living our best, lo-fi girl lives. We’re embracing the soft life, and we’re not sorry about it.

You can see it in the stories people put out, and the present hauls people share on TikTok. The most popular presents Gen-Z got for Christmas 24 include Ugg slippers, caramel-scented body lotion and fancy plushies.

Soft life started off as a romance fashion aesthetic on Tiktok. Think tulle, ballerina core, pastels, ribbons and plushies – a kawaii-luxe dainty girl look.

‘A luxurious rebellion against the struggles we’ve grown to accept as our day-to-day existence… the evolution of “treat yourself,” an active, intentional pursuit of living without unnecessary inconveniences, sacrifices or hardships.’ Emily Tamfo, Elle Magazine, 2022

Unlike most TikTok cores, which have the lifespan of gnats, #softlife has evolved into internet slang, a catch-all for putting down our societal load when the system feels rigged against us.

It’s particularly popular with the women in my life. We’re not slimming or looksmaxxing for the male gaze. We’re putting boundaries in place for work and play, because we no longer aspire to ‘have it all’. We’re prioritising comfort and peace over hustle, striving and struggle. And I sense a strong feeling of relief as a result. Thank god I don’t have to pretend anymore. I’m here for it.

The annual tech conference is winding down today - a chance to look at the innovations which may eventually trickle down into our everyday lives. And what a feast of delights it is - that is, if you want to replace your human and pet companions with robots. Because one thing is for certain: in various shapes and forms, they are coming to the mass market.

A robot companion by Realbotix, built to help tackle the loneliness epidemic. Looks like it was designed by 4chan, moves like its a few pints in, speaks like an advanced supermarket checkout. And if you’re bored of its face, you can just peel it off and stick another one on. Fun!

While Aria is… disconcerting, technological companionship will continue to develop and become more normalised in society, especially as loneliness becomes more prevalent. In Japan, where loneliness is a chronic social issue, AI romance is already becoming more mainstream, with AI dating apps. As it becomes a bigger issue in the Western world, expect to see more of this in 2025.

A companion robot for kids which doubles as a home management and security device - packaged up as a cute baby robot in a stroller. If you’re going to have a robot in the house - why not make it cute? The kawaii aesthetic makes this companion feel more approachable - no uncanny valley issues.

In the years to come, I can see up-market homes having a robot companion as standard - managing technology, security, becoming part of the family. The concern is the amount of ultra-personal information it records about your home life - how do you protect your privacy if your ultra cute robot is filming everyday intimate moments of your personal life? Yikes now, likely to become pretty normalised in 3-5 years I think.

A fashionable, cute furbie-like that lives in your handbag? Apparently it’s ‘designed to recreate people’s joyful experiences of noticing a human baby” with shy or bashful reactions, and a willingness to bond with machines.

Given the propensity to clip fluffy plushies to bags in East Asia, I can see this catching on in China, South Korea and Japan. Not convinced about Western markets.

And the insurance companies will try their best not to pay out. After all, the costs will bankrupt them. An impending insurance crisis looms, NYT has an interesting read on it: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-insurance-crisis-that-will-follow-the-california-fires

Zuckerberg has ditched the pretence that Meta gives a shit about the truth, just in time for Trump’s inauguration. Tayor Lorenz has an interesting take on it. https://www.usermag.co/p/stop-pretending-meta-cares-about

BYD (Beyond Your Dreams), a Chinese EV maker, is renting large showrooms in up-market shopping centres like Westfield White City and Canary Wharf.

Tesla vehicles are becoming more common with Uber drivers - because Uber offer sponsorship rental deals for drivers to buy them.

Until next time, nerds!