Marian Salzman's job is to spot trends. She foresees a good year for wired-up singletons, and yoga for pets

Some of what will happen in 2004 is preordained: barring any catastrophes we'll have a new Olympic Games, we'll see an American president sworn into office and we will watch as the world grows even more connected by technology. It's my job to spot the not-so-obvious trends and events that will characterize the year to come.

Terrorist attacks and war have made us all value our homes. So 2004 will be the year when neighbors entertain neighbors with a home-cooked (or at least reheated) stew at the kitchen table. Informality is the sub-theme, genuine bonding the real theme. We'll put more emphasis on socializing at local restaurants with extended tribes of families and friends. No age barriers, just the desire for comfort food and real conversation versus superficiality.

Globalization and interactive technologies may have brought people round the world closer together, but the flip side of going local is a greater sensitivity to what's not local; in other words, a stronger sense of Us and Them. The year is likely to see deeper divisions across existing fault lines—Muslim/non-Muslim, conservative/ liberal, urban/rural, pro-life/pro-choice, pro-gay/anti-gay.

Married couples still seem to be the norm but actually make up only 50.7 percent of American households now (and Britain unfailingly follows U.S. trends). So singletons will soon become the new normal, so much so that singletons have started talking about the death of marriage—an institution that made a great deal of sense when people lived agrarian lives, partnered at the age of 17 and dead by 30.

Today, marrieds are complaining about the hard work of marriage, the cost of divorce and the trauma of re-entering the dating game. Yet I've also been picking up a new vibe—"the grass is greener" phenomenon. That is, singletons envy their married friends and our married friends envy us our singleness, especially the empowerment of a life that is organised around me. There is no doubt that our shopping trends are being influenced by the single life.

For instance, presents used to be something one gave to others. Now one in five adults admit to "almost always" buying something for themselves when they are out shopping for others’ gifts. We like to reward ourselves with luxuries.

We will see more pandering in 2004 to metrosexuals, heterosexual urban men.

Expect gentlemen's guides, more spa facilities at top sports clubs and luxurious fabrics and bedding aimed at men. Metrosexual dads will be presented with baby product lines that will allow them to be hands-on fathers while still remaining stylish.

I've been saying that 40 is the new 30 for some time, but this year Demi and Madonna showed us that not only can 40-somethings be sizzling, but also there's no better way to age than with a boy toy of your own. As the new 40-somethings show us, there is suddenly yet another decade to be young, have fun and do sexy and all the better with a young male fashion accessory.

However, it entails looking good: watch your friends queue up for cosmetic surgery. It has all but lost its stigma as something about which to be embarrassed or even ashamed. More people are going under the knife or, increasingly, a laser.

There will be an increased emphasis, too, on beauty from the inside out. Ayurveda and blood typing (also for weight loss) show that the chemistry of the body, digestion, stress management and so on are as important to maintaining youth as not smoking and staying out of the sun.

As the world struggles with the rise in obesity, low carbohydrate product sales are expected to reach $30 billion (about 17 billion pounds) in 2004. We will see a rise in "alternative" forms of exercise for children, including yoga and salsa dancing. And don't think Fifi and Fido are off the hook: Approximately a quarter of dogs and cats in the Western world are overweight. (Atkins for animals, anyone?) As I predicted, blogging (publishing diaries on the Web) really took hold in 2003 with an estimated 3 million sites worldwide. The wireless revolution will expand further in 2004, thanks to the growth of spaces in which wireless Internet connections are available.

We'll see technology integrated into our wardrobes, too, with pockets designed to transport our portable gadgets. So-called "e-Wear" already on the market includes the Levi's Dockers Mobile Pant. It should all add up to a year to remember.