It amazes me that there is a market for noise canceling products. This market not only exists, it is thriving.
According to a recent report, the noise cancelling headphones market was valued at $13.1 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $45.4 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 13.2% from 2021 to 2031. This is absolutely mind blowing.
As noise canceling products continue to sell like hotcakes, I beg to ask — why? Is it because everyone wants Beats By Dre? Is it because they are cool and comfortable? Is it a status symbol when traveling? Or is it possible that it’s a sign of something different altogether? If it’s the latter, we are in trouble.
I consider myself a pretty optimistic person. Life is beautiful, days are bountiful and the glass is always half full. However, after recently reading this report by Michael Fullan, I have started being more realistic with where we are as a society and thus where the emerging market trends are going from a population and behavior point of view.
In Fullan’s report, he paints a very thought-provoking picture of where we are a society and where we have come from as well based on the drivers which form our education system and our society. Here is a short summary of the report along with Figure 1 which lays out the drivers for whole system success.
Fullan’s Drivers for Whole System Success include a moral purpose, collaborative cultures, meaningful leadership, prioritizing deep learning, systemic improvement, coherence, and learning partnerships. These drivers guide educational systems [and society] toward positive transformation and improved outcomes for all.
On one side, we have the human paradigm, loosely translated, this is when we consider our neighbours well-being, we seek strong systems which are equitable and we aim to build social intelligence. We seek wholeness and harmony. Learning and well-being go hand in hand and we treat each other with respect and care.
On the other hand we have the bloodless paradigm, marked by key drivers which can pull our educational systems and society apart if we are not careful. We become obsessed with self, we rely on machine learning more than human-to-human learning. We live with austerity (ruthless) and become more and more fragmented or separated — meaning what divides us becomes stronger than what unites us. Simply put, we are lacking care, empathy, understanding and civic awareness. This, I believe, is where we are and why the noise canceling market will reach $45 billion over the next decade.
While I provide a very brief overview of these drivers and Michael’s thorough report aimed at educational reform, it’s important to note in business because if the noise canceling industry is to reach it’s target number by 2031 this suggests that we want less to do with conversation and connection and more to do with ourselves, our own thinking, and our own machine driven world (Netflix, gaming, social media, etc..).
Assuming we continue down the path of the bloodless paradigm outlined by Fullan, this is what I believe the growth of the noise canceling industry will unveil to us over the next decade:
1. We will continue to seek solitude over connection
We are living in a loneliness epidemic. This is something I raised caution against in my latest book — How To Thrive In Remote Working Environments. According to Owl labs, among remote workers loneliness was by far the biggest issue to deal with in 2022. With hybrid and remote work here to stay, and the rise of AI sucking authentic ways of connecting into a vacuum, this will only increase. Pushing us further and further towards basic communication and void of connection. Having a product for billions of lonely people — such as noise canceling headphones which scream — DON’T TALK TO ME, is only going to become more and more popular.
2. More will divide us than what unites us
Ever notice that when you jump on Twitter it’s like a water-hose of people on microphones telling us if we think one way, we can’t possibly think another. If we are on the left we can’t be friends or associate with people on the right. The middle is boring and we need to overthrow everything on the edge of extremes. This breeds a society of division, where people begin questioning and intentionally looking for ways to be divided from each other — all the while retreating to a small echo chamber of people who encourage that behavior to continue happening.
This commercial paints a pretty accurate picture of where we are and why we need noise canceling headphones. When this ad first came out, I remember thinking it was brilliant marketing because athletes face public criticism daily. However, what athletes have had to endure is now pervasive everywhere. From press conferences and live TV events to airports, people are on edge and seem to have something to say about everything — causing us to retreat back to our only saving grace in public, a pair of noise canceling headphones.
3. Our bandwidths will continue to remain maxed out
The other thing this $45 billion dollar industry tells us is that we are maxed out mentally and I don’t see this changing anytime soon. I am not talking intellectually, just mentally. With the rise of mental health issues as a legacy piece from the pandemic, many of us haven’t taken the time to hit pause and to really focus on our mental health. How can we when we have inflation chasing us and the highest amount of debt in human history. Our bodies are in fight-or-flight mode constantly and our brains just need a break and the only way to get that seems to be in the moments that we can tune out these issues and tune into a good song, podcast or show with our headphones.
Summary
As this market continues to grow and the issues of loneliness and poor mental health continue to bubble under the surface in our society, it’s important to note that it’s not all doom and gloom and to be reminded that we can take action. For one, I am sure you can make a lot of money investing in the noise canceling market. Second, there are ways we can take action to protect ourselves and our well-being without losing ourselves in the noise entirely.
There are ways we can slowly combat the loneliness epidemic in our own communities. Reach out to a friend or introduce yourself to your neighbour. For improving mental health, soak up the sun in a park or get in a quick hike during the day. Seek out individual wholeness and connection with your environment and the humans that live in it. after all, it’s the little things that can improve our well-being, which over time can move communities and societies from being less bloodless to being more human.
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Previously Published on Medium
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