This report explores trends—one type of force that shapes our world . Because trends exert their influence incrementally, acting over time in an observable direction and at a measurable speed, they are a sound basis for forecasts—predictions of what the world might be like at some point in the future. TrendsWatch 2017 highlights five trends that Center for the Future of Museums (CFM) staff and advisors believe are highly significant to museums and their communities, based on their scanning and analysis over the past year .