Signals from the Future
Health | Innovation | Society
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No one would ever argue that I, the perpetual introvert and last-to-know-about-the-party-that- happened-2-weeks-ago, is the master of vibes.
But this term is popping every where from vibe coding, to post pandemic cultural anxiety of the seen and be seen crowd, to the vibecession that may have helped landed Trump in office (or kicked Biden out).
Vibe is the new cool.
To vibe is to feel the vibes (duh). It’s a tautological definition, of course. You can only really experience it because its its nature is beyond words.
IYKYK.
The rise of “vibes” as a dominant lens through which we interpret everything—from pop culture and politics to technology and even healthcare—is one of the most telling shifts in how postmodern society processes reality.
Vibes matter more than credentials. It’s the new language of leadership. It’s more compelling than data.
To vibe is to be in the know. To have a wide ranging conversation.
It’s due to three primary reasons:
- Information overload
- Rise of Aesthetics way of life
- The Predominance of Emotions, Culture and Attention
1. “Vibes” as a Response to Information Overload
We live in an era of hyper-information: too many facts, too many sources, too little trust. In such an environment, vibes act as an emotional heuristic—a gut feeling, a shortcut. Rather than evaluating truth or merit through evidence or logic, we rely on a sense, a tone, an aesthetic resonance.
We don’t ask, “Is this true?” We ask, “Does this feel true?”
This has deep implications: trust is no longer built on institutions or credentials, but on perceived authenticity and resonance—vibes.
As a gastroenterologist, there is some overlap in my clinical work. I all too often see patients come in flush with research they found online, especially regarding fad diets, probiotics, and #guthealth trending on TikTok.
Many of these patients haven’t actually done real research, of course, but rather have gone on gut sense (pun intended) of what feels true. To disregard or debunk these claims is to be disrespectful, to dis-empower them and their sense of their own wellness. Not being delicate in these scenarios can easily play into stereotypes of paternalistic doctors and power dynamics in the exam room.
2. Vibes Over Facts = A Vibe-Driven Economy
Marketing, politics, crypto, even venture capital are increasingly vibe-driven. Just look at meme stocks, influencers, or presidential candidates who win not on policy but on presence. Tech companies now pitch themselves less as functional products and more as lifestyle energies—the vibe of “community,” “disruption,” “well-being,” etc.
These buzzwords and even whole vibe based platforms like Substack drive investment and attention.
In this economy, your vibe is your value proposition.
The vibes-first approach privileges design, storytelling, and affect. That’s why brands are investing heavily in aesthetic coherence and mood marketing—think Apple, Glossier, A24, or even the “vibes” of AI companies.
3. A Shift from Epistemology to Aesthetics
“Vibes” represent a deeper philosophical shift—from ontology (nature of reality) and epistemology (what is true and how do we know it?) to aesthetics (what feels meaningful or cool?). In a way, this is the triumph of postmodernism: we’re no longer asking what’s real, but what’s curated, what’s vibey. It’s less about what’s said and more about the mood in which it’s delivered.
Ultimately it’s about taste, which can be as ineffable as it is delectable. Tastemakers, content curators, Spotify playlists (which function to serve up moods, another vibey topic) are the new power brokers.
Even in the world of algorithms and perhaps because of it, it is the intrinsically human mashup of sentiment, trends and cultural resonance.
This creates a cultural moment where “vibe curation” becomes a form of power. Cultural capital is accrued not through mastery, but through vibe fluency or “cultural scripting” (think death of the Duolingo logo or the Peloton Bike Christmas commercial).
The Future of Vibes
Where do we go from here? We recognize that the “vibe economy” rewards narrative, design, and relatability.
• Cultural Synthesis: As AI and tech continue to automate rational tasks, vibe-crafting becomes more central—blending art, narrative, and emotional intelligence.
• Algorithmic Vibes: Platforms already shape vibes via feeds which creates a self perpetuating loop. With more personalized AI, your digital world may literally be tuned to your “vibe preferences.”
• Vibe Fatigue: There may be a backlash or a counter-culture—a return to rigor, long-form thought, or what David Brooks might call the “moral realism” crowd. But it’ll have to vibe like rebellion.
• Vibe Monetization: Creators, founders, and thinkers who master vibe storytelling will outcompete more credentialed but less resonant peers.
​Jenifer DeSofi has a brilliant breakdown of what the vibes future might look like, and argues “cultural fluency is the biggest flex and the ultimate currency for success” and “creativity is the most powerful force in business. Full stop.”
She has some interesting recommendations for culture oriented organizations :
- Culture-first thinking—embed into culture, don’t just react to it
- Participation over perfection—engagement beats polish every time
- Entertainment as strategy—attention is earned, not bought
- Creative autonomy—hire the ones who get it, then get out of their way
- Strategic unpredictability—embrace chaos, but back it with intent
- Momentum over messaging—create energy, don’t control it
- Next-gen leadership—manage energy, not just people and process
The Vibes of Healthcare
Bedside and web-side manner will be even more important as the tone, feel and warmth of the provider will matter even more technical competence as expertise is democratized through AI. “Wellness influencers,” “health coaches,” “holistic medicine,” and “concierge medicine” are all vibe first providers. This will impact more than white coats, credentials, and institutional credibility.
For tele-health companies, design takes precedence even more given the personal nature of healthcare. The digital experience will be everything, from U/I, tone, text reminders that are personalized to you and curated social media reels.
Healthcare, in turn, has always been about compliance, regulation, and hierarchy so these terms seem foreign. This is why fashion forward and aesthetic oriented fields have monetized this sentiment (fitness, dermatology, cosmetic dentistry- which is not a real field by the way, plastic surgery etc) whereas traditional providers in standard fields have not.
​It’s no surprise these jobs are in demand, have cash paying patients (want juvederm? no insurance here please…) and cater to the vibe of the moment: namely to look like you’re on in five.
Of course, we wouldn’t expect our oncologist to be so aesthetic savvy (although a notable exception is my residency colleague turned radiation oncologist x dancer x reality tv star). Part of this resistance to cultural fluidity is intrinsic to a life and death field like medicine as opposed to, say, a beverage company.
But the same attitude also stifles quality improvement, cost containment and patient experience that is alienating more and more people. Unlike every other high performing industry in the world, healthcare hires the smartest people in the world and tells them what to do, not vice-versa.
Storytelling is not the end product of design but the start of a cultural conversation. The discussion around healthcare as of late – drug prices, Ozempic, Luigi and the murder of UHC executive, all speak a broken and disjointed story about what healthcare should feel like.
Regardless of your political persuasion, we all feel the same: healthcare’s vibe is fundamentally off.
A Final Thought
Vibes has a close place to my heart precisely because of my insider – outsider status. I have an artistic heart but scientist’s mind. I have a perpetual late to the show aura, but live in the most creative city in the world.
Yes I think I have vibe envy. And frankly, I think you do too.
We are a comparison orienting species. We care about how we stand in relation to others. This desire to be same but different, together but alone is the interesting psychological dynamism I think underlying the emphasis on vibes. It’s what DeSofi calls the pull between the attention economy (“look at me”) to the cultural connection (“let collaborate”).
To live in a vibe-dominant world is to live in a world where meaning is felt, not proven. It’s as freeing as it is precarious.
But if you can own the vibe, you can shape the world.
​
Tomorrow Can’t Wait,
