This report maps how daily life in the United States is shifting now and what will compound over the coming years toward 2035.
Experts from Pew Research Center warn that many feel more worried than excited about these changes. This long-form trend analysis looks at home, work, health, and entertainment to show why the phase is arriving faster than past shifts.
We focus on two driving forces: behavior change led by Gen Z and the technology stack that enables always-connected experiences. The scope is ecosystems, not single apps, and how they shape expectations.
Today, people see both upside and downside. The article will address privacy, security, trust, and human-centered design as adoption accelerates.
Core thesis: the future of living will be defined by integrated technology that reduces friction for people while creating new governance and trust requirements.
What “digital living” means now and why the next wave is arriving faster
Everyday routines now depend on connected platforms that move with people across home, commute, work, and social spaces.
From apps to ecosystems
Products no longer win as single apps. They win when they join platforms and systems that share state, profiles, and context.
Access, interoperability, and continuity shape how people choose services. The ability to pause on one device and resume on another is now expected.
Time horizons and the road to 2035
Roy Amara’s law matters: short-term impact is often overestimated, while long-term change is underestimated.
Pew’s 2035 horizon—just over a decade—makes planning practical for businesses and policymakers. A cohort entering leadership roles will steer adoption and policy over those years.
“People tend to overestimate short-run impact and underestimate long-run impact.”
- More devices per person speed habit formation.
- Always-on networks and AI personalization compress adoption time.
- Integrated experiences become the baseline expectation.
| Aspect | Now | By 2035 | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Multiple siloed apps | Interoperable ecosystems | Competition shifts to systems |
| Access | Device-bound | Seamless across devices | Continuity as expected feature |
| People | Adaptation to tools | Expect integrated experiences | Policy and design must follow |
For policymakers and product teams, practical guidance on smart community tech helps translate this report into action. See a related resource on smart community platforms: smart community technology.
next generation digital living is being shaped by Gen Z behaviors and expectations
Young adults are reshaping how we find information, turning social apps into the first stop for everyday search.
Information discovery moves into social platforms
For many people in this generation, opening Instagram or TikTok comes before a search engine. A Google survey shows Instagram (67%) and TikTok (62%) top Google Search (61%) for local discovery.
The rise of AI chatbots at work and daily problem-solving
AI tools are now a standard part of work routines. About 93% of Gen Z knowledge workers use two or more AI tools weekly. This creates demand for instant answers and in-the-flow access to solutions.
Short-form video, passive consumption, and streaming-first habits
Short-form content dominates attention. Roughly 25% of TikTok users create nearly all content while most people consume quietly—around 6.6 hours a day of passive viewing.
Streaming use is three times greater than TV for this cohort, shifting expectations toward personalized, on-demand catalogs and multi-device playback.
| Behavior | Evidence | Implication for brands |
|---|---|---|
| Social search | Instagram 67%, TikTok 62% | Prioritize short, context-rich clips |
| AI at work | 93% use multiple AI tools weekly | Embed chatbots and low-friction tools |
| Community | Semi-private spaces like Discord | Focus on trust, moderation, and close networks |
This section ties back to the report thesis: people expect bundled platforms and tools that reduce friction, not a single killer app.
The technology stack powering the future: devices, data, and connected experiences
A practical stack of hardware, networks, and orchestration software now powers everyday connected experiences.
Modern intelligent ecosystems pair edge devices with cloud services, identity layers, and AI that routes context and actions. This makes handoffs smooth when people move between phone, tablet, PC, and home systems.
Intelligent living ecosystems
Devices at the edge collect context while connectivity (Wi‑Fi and 5G) moves data. Identity and account layers let systems recognize a person across things without constant sign-in.
Entertainment and streaming
Cloud gaming plus 5G lets AAA titles stream to mid-range devices. Mobile live streaming broadens participatory video and makes user broadcasts common.
Multi-device playback becomes an expected baseline. Content must match quality and sound across TVs, tablets, and phones.
Audio, wearables, and health
Wireless hearables merge assistants and sensors to control devices and reduce friction. Wearables track steps and heart rate and now deliver sleep insights, stress prompts, and guided breathing.
Health tools create feedback loops: sensors collect data, software turns it into advice, and people gain actionable insights.
Work and connected homes
Always-connected PCs and cross-device continuity speed creator workflows. Capture on a phone, edit on a laptop, and publish from a cloud workspace with minimal friction.
At home, smart hubs and routers act as command centers. Voice control links shopping, climate, and security into a single coordination layer.
| Layer | Function | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Edge devices | Collect sensors and context | Personalized, low-latency responses |
| Connectivity | Wi‑Fi/5G backhaul | Cloud gaming and seamless streaming |
| Identity & AI | Orchestrate access and continuity | Fewer logins, smoother handoffs |
“Less friction, more continuity, and richer personalization come with greater data collection—and that requires clear governance.”
Risks and tradeoffs: privacy, security, human rights, and trust in AI-driven systems
Widespread adoption brings practical tradeoffs: convenience often arrives with new vulnerabilities.
The privacy paradox in practice
People want personalization yet demand control. About 88% of young adults say they will share personal information with a social platform if consent improves personalization.
At the same time, they fear breaches and misuse. Companies must balance tailored services with clear retention rules and transparent choices.
Security realities and governance
Breaches and expanding surveillance change adoption. Security is structural, not hypothetical, because more systems now run essential tasks.
Companies need consent-based data use, auditability, and model risk management to maintain trust.
Societal risks and the workforce
Pew experts flag deepfakes, disinformation, embedded bots, facial recognition spread, and widening divides by 2035.
“79% of 305 experts are more concerned than excited or equally concerned and excited.”
AI copilots may boost productivity for many workers while threatening routine roles. Reskilling and governance are essential.
Human-centered design as a remedy
Preserve agency with opt-outs, explainability, and clear escalation paths for harms.
- Prevent dark patterns and preserve human oversight.
- Ensure labor and supply-chain rights inform system design.
- Make accountability visible when automation acts.
In short: the technologies that deliver convenience can erode trust unless companies, policymakers, and designers embed privacy and security from day one.
Conclusion
This report shows how behavior and platform architecture together reshape how people access services and content.
By 2035 the future of living will favor systems that unify content across screens, reduce friction in consumption, and keep continuity between home and work.
Product teams must design for multi-device journeys. Prioritize interoperability, resilient identity layers, and interfaces that assume users switch devices mid-task.
Trust matters: privacy and security are adoption enablers, not afterthoughts. Failures spread faster when devices and platforms are tightly linked.
Organizations that align their tech and product strategy with how people discover, watch, learn, and collaborate will outperform rivals. Build for adaptability in formats, governance, and workflows to stay competitive as ecosystems mature.
