Mega­trends are long-term and far-reach­ing global devel­op­ments, includ­ing tech­no­log­i­cal changes, that shape many areas of soci­ety and the econ­omy. Mega­trends include, for exam­ple, indi­vid­u­al­iza­tion, urban­iza­tion, glob­al­iza­tion and mobil­ity. They have an impact on differ­ent aspects of people’s lives. Often, they cannot be clearly distin­guished from one another, but blend with and influ­ence one another. The term itself was coined in 1982 by futur­ol­o­gist John Naisbitt.