Skip to main contentSkip to navigation
Print subscriptions
Sign in
Search jobs
Search
The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

Sean Monahan

Sean Monahan is a writer and trend forecaster based in Los Angeles, CA. He co-founded K-HOLE, the trend forecasting group best-known for coining the term, normcore


December 2022

  • (From left) Gwen Stefani, Julian Casablancas and Pete Davidson.

    I predicted the ‘vibe shift’ – and watched it sweep the world. Here’s what it actually means

    Another day, another dozen micro-trends. Here’s how to tell what matters from the latest sea shanty craze or ice bucket challenge

August 2021

  • ‘The concept of the metaverse was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 science-fiction novel Snow Crash, which was set in a near future in which the virtual world and the physical world are inextricably interconnected.’

    Techies think we’re on the cusp of a virtual world called ‘the metaverse’. I’m skeptical

    Sean Monahan
    Silicon Valley has been anticipating virtual reality for more than three decades, and keeps running into the same problem: people mostly like actual reality

January 2021

  • ‘Starring Keanu Reeves and featuring a soundtrack by Grimes, SOPHIE, and A$AP Rocky, Cyberpunk 2077 cost a staggering $317 million to develop. Video games now come within striking distance of the largest Hollywood budgets.’

    Video games have replaced music as the most important aspect of youth culture

    Sean Monahan
    The global video gaming industry took in an estimated $180bn in 2020 – more than sports and movies worldwide

December 2020

  • FILE PHOTO: Rapper Kanye West makes a point as he holds his first rally in support of his presidential bid in North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Randall Hill/File Photo

    The world is one big reality TV show now. And we're all out of the loop

    Sean Monahan
    Aren’t we all a bit fake these days, playing our small parts in the grand drama of life?

November 2020

  • Glenn Greenwald<br>FILE - In this July 10, 2019 file photo, U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald checks his news website at his home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazilian prosecutors accused Greenwald on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, of involvement in hacking the phones of Brazilian officials involved in a corruption investigation, though Brazil’s high court had blocked investigations of the journalist or his Brazil-based news outlet in relation to the case. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

    Why are public thinkers flocking to Substack?

    Sean Monahan
    A slew of famous media defectors who jumped onto the platform recently raises the question of whether Substack can address media’s woes
Explore more on these topics