We ring in 2011 against a backdrop of economic uncertainty - which, all things considered, is probably preferable to the past few years’ depressingly bleak economic certainty. Consumers do seem to be opening up their wallets a bit, as evidenced by the sales figures that emerged following Black Friday 2010. Companies are still not hiring at healthy levels, though reports abound that enough cash is accumulating in corporate coffers to support adding new staff and investing in infrastructure. The usual stew of geopolitical crises (North Korea, ailing European economies, etc.) simmers in the background, ready to boil over at any moment.

There’s no way to tell what the next 12 months will bring but if the good people at trendwatching.com are right, we may have to add a new variation on the meaning of the term groupthink.

The site has released its annual list of consumer trends for the coming year (you can get it free in a nifty PDF from the site) and, on a macro level, many of these movements offer continuing evidence that technology, far from turning us all into the stereotype of solitary, disengaged creatures, is allowing us to explore and expand our (seemingly innate) need as human animals to congregate, communicate and share.

True, a lot of the sharing is ego-driven (“Look at me! Look what I’m doing!”) and certainly doesn’t come from a place of altruism. But the group/tribal aspects of these trends are fascinating because they show just how powerful the social components of consumption have become. In the old days we called it word-of-mouth but now it’s morphed into something so much larger and far-reaching.

Following is a sampling of some of trendwatching.com’s 2011 trends that evidence our instincts to form and find new groups to interact with.

Pricing Pandemonium

Combine Groupon, smartphones and our tendency to lust for the best deal possible and you have the makings of the Pricing Pandemonium trend, in which group buying, members-only sales, local discounts and dynamic pricing are the order of the day.

Social-Lites and Twinsumers

As defined by trendwatching.com, Twinsumers are consumers with similar consumption patterns, likes and dislikes who are thus valuable sources for recommendations on what to buy and experience. Social-Lites are “all about discovery, as consumers become curators; actively broadcasting, remixing, compiling, commenting, sharing and recommending content, products, purchases and experiences to both their friends and wider audiences.” These two forces come together in the form of consumers who are driven, as trendwatching.com puts it, to build “Brand Me” by creating and maintaining online profiles that record their opinions and recommendations. Thus they are driven to talk, talk, talk about brands wherever and whenever they can, which can be a boon for a company on the receiving end of their praise or a bane to the entity drawing their ire. Engage and court these denizens at your peril but also know that ignoring them may also not be an option.

Urbanomics

As the world’s largest cities grow ever-larger, they serve as huge, influential markets full of adventurous, often more liberal consumers who are hungry for products and services that match and mirror their fast-paced lifestyles. For example, workers who have abandoned rural areas for the cities in search of jobs may develop a host of newfound tastes and preferences once freed from the strictures of society and family that previously defined them. Imagine being able to get your products in front of a segment like that. To borrow from Martin Landau’s memorable turn as producer Bob Ryan on HBO’s Entourage: Marketers, is that something you might be interested in?

Planned Spontaneity

In tandem with the Urbanomics trend, Planned Spontaneity puts a label on a generation of city-dwelling, smartphone-bearing (mostly young) consumers who will use their phones’ geolocational powers to find out about and join events and activities being taken part in by others like them.

Owner-less

Citing the success of car-sharing programs around the world, trendwatching.com says that as bigger brands such as Hertz and Peugeot get into the act, and as consumers become more familiar with and accepting of the idea of sharing and renting large, expensive or seldom-used objects, the ideas behind sharing programs may move into other realms.

Made for China (if not BRIC)

Western brands are popular the world over, especially in China, and in 2011 many firms are expected to follow in the footsteps of brands such as Levi’s, Dior, Hermes and BMW by tailoring products to local tastes and needs, hoping to maintain their marques’ inherent cachet while adding a personalized touch that appeals to the buyer’s local pride.

Wellthy

The Web, through chat rooms and discussion boards and other sharing mechanisms, has brought a social aspect to wellness and/or disease suffering, which is one part of a three-part movement that trendwatching.com calls Wellthy. First, the site says, the same smaller-better-cheaper evolution that characterizes most tech products will extend to some health-related technologies this year, as monitoring devices (such as Phillips DirectLife) become more portable and/or wearable in addition to costing less. Second, both regular and dedicated medical social networks will continue giving members a vehicle for sharing and discussing their health issues with others. And third, more consumers will gravitate to products with embedded health benefits that are well-designed, desirable, accessible, fun, tasty or interesting.

Emerging Generosity

Playing off trendwatching.com’s previously identified Generation G(enerosity) trend, the idea behind Emerging Generosity is that brands and wealthy individuals from emerging markets will increasingly be expected to spread their largesse in their home countries and around the rest of the globe, expanding the focus of their giving to those outside of their usual spheres.

Part of many groups

We will always be most concerned with the welfare of Our Group - whatever group that may be - but technology (specifically the Web and smartphones) now gives us new ways and reasons to start seeing ourselves as being part of many groups, rather than just the ones closest to home or closest to our religion or chosen belief system. Marketers who understand our need to belong - what it means to us emotionally - can position themselves as facilitators of that belonging and profit from the sales and positive feelings that can result when we find another new tribe to run with.