Digital Predictions for 2024: 7 Trends to Watch

As we look ahead into what we believe will be an unpredictable 2024, with new forms of technology progressing by the day, our team has been keeping tabs on the digital realm. We’ve listed the seven obvious digital trends that will seemingly shift the world in 2024. Let’s dig into the details of what 2024 could bring to the internet.

What marketers need to know about the future of digital content

Regular

Elevating Creativity: Our 4-Day Workweek Experiment

As an agency that was established to provide a better working environment and positive, caring cultural experience surrounding the creative process (even before we settled into our impact mission in 2012), we’ve decided we can’t let this ride. That's why Black Sheep has embarked on a 4-day workweek experiment to see how it affects the way we feel and the energy we can put into our work.

How our team is embracing a new way to work together

Hopescrolling: Is Gen Z actually optimistic?

Cynical. Overstressed. Irony poisoned. The generational outlook for Gen Z is feeling bleak these days, and the marketers and strategists of the world are buried under piles of data about it all. But what if there’s a different way to think about hope? 

Gen Z never lost faith. They just express it a little… differently.

What could generative AI mean for creatives?

AI and the Future of Creativity

Fostering allyship and community in the midst of chaos

Knowing Thy Neighbor

While AI’s latest uses may seem futuristic, artificial intelligence has already been influencing our lives for decades. Two things have changed recently, though: its expanding applications for a variety of industries, and our ability to be calm about it. 

But before we panic about imminent societal collapse led by robot overlords, here’s a crash course on how we got here.

WTF is AI?

What is generative AI and what can it do for us?

Houston Landing is a local nonprofit newsroom with no paywalls to provide essential journalism that empowers our communities.

Meet Houston Landing: designing the next frontier of local news

A new, nonprofit and nonpartisan news outlet for local voices.

Sometimes, social media feels like a horror show. Can we defeat the monster and save the day?

Escaping our Social Media Spirals

7 Native American Designers You Should Know About

Support Indigenous designers in the creative industry.

Picking up the pieces and finding our voice.

We are all we've got.

Sometimes sharing our deepest thoughts is enough to give someone else the courage to move ahead.

AAPI thought leaders that can help us look ahead

Supporting AAPI Heritage and Future

Thoughts and tips for landing your first advertising job with intention

The Breakout Role

How Did We Become a B Corp: the B Corp Series

Our lessons and reflections on becoming a better business.

How Did We Become a B Corp?

We stand with trans Texans. Find ways to engage with local organizations in the fight to protect trans kids and their families.

Texas: The State of Our State

Making a list, checking it twice and shopping sustainably, which feels very nice.

Black Sheep 2021 Gift Guide

For flocking around the Christmas tree and other season's festivities. 

Giving Tuesday: A Day of Global & Digital Giving

A guide and history of Giving Tuesday, the world's largest generosity day.

A roast worthy of a turkey, but instead focused on what makes us truly grateful this season.

Here's to the American Tradition

Let's give it up for turkeys, football and violent misunderstandings

We're a B Corp. You're a B Corp. So why aren't we working together? (Hint: we could be.)

We're the Agency for B Corps

Are You a B Corp? Then We Should Be Your Agency

Here at Black Sheep, we believe you need time to step away from your desk and give your brain a reset. And so we're making mandatory time off a reality.

Mandatory Time Off Is Our New Normal

We need time to rest and come back ready. 

The Black Sheep Agency Stands in Opposition to SB7

We as a Texas business would like to affirm—loud and clear—for all our State elected officials that we do not support the passage of SB7.

Speaking up and speaking out about the preservation of expanded, accessible voting rights 

This year marks our 5th as a B Corporation, joining over 3,800 companies that push back on business and economic models that put profits over people.

Better Business is a B Corp

We deserve a world (and workplace) that gives a damn about something bigger than profits

The Hidden Political Life of Postage Stamps

The postage stamp is a lot more than a sticky tag attached to our envelopes. They are a reflection in culture, and a political tool used to persuade the masses.

Celebrating tiny sheets of beauty, patriotism + philatelic propaganda 

5.4 Million Women Lost Their Jobs Last Year 

We're looking at a sesmic shift in our workforce—and not for the better.

5.4 Million Women Lost Their Jobs Last Year

We're looking at a major shift in our workforce—and not for the better. 

Here's a roundup of podcasts created by Black creators, covering topics from culture, money, work, and history. There's something in this list for everyone.

A Collection of Podcasts for Black History and Black Culture

February is winding down, but we're continuing our celebration of Black creators.

The Divine Nine | The Daily Social Distancing Show

Black Excellence: A Short History of Black Sororities and Fraternities

The Divine 9 (D9) is a collective of Black Greek-lettered sororities and fraternities that, for decades, have been uplifting and amplifying black voices at American universities. Our Community Organizer, Torey, witnessed first-hand the black excellence these organizations promote.

The Divine Nine (D9) is the example Black collective.

We Are Hiring Chief of Staff (Now Closed)

New role for a visionary Chief of Staff at The Black Sheep Agency

Now hiring at Black Sheep in Houston for Chief of Staff

At Black Sheep, we know storytelling isn’t just about awareness. It’s about disruption, transformation and cultural change. That’s why we loved our Account Director Shauna Garriques’ LinkedIn article, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance Was More Than Music—It Was a Masterclass in Impact Storytelling where she unpacks how Lamar turned the world’s biggest stage into a powerful commentary on racial injustice. His use of symbolism, risk and raw emotion sparked conversations far beyond the 13-minute performance.

We won’t rehash her insights here—and encourage you to read the full article—but we do want to build on them. Because what Kendrick Lamar did wasn’t just an example of impact storytelling. It was a lesson in narrative power—who gets to tell stories, how those stories shape public consciousness and why discomfort is often a sign you’re doing it right.


Owning the Narrative vs. Being Part of the Narrative

For decades, the Super Bowl halftime show has been about spectacle. Big names, bright lights and choreography built for mass appeal. But Kendrick Lamar didn’t just step into that tradition; he bent it to serve a deeper message.

That’s a crucial lesson for social impact leaders. Are you shaping your own story, or are you adjusting it to fit someone else’s expectations? Too often, organizations working in justice spaces are asked to soften their message for broader appeal. 

You write in order to change the world… if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it. - James Baldwin

Real impact happens when stories are told with honesty and audacity, not when they’re polished into something more digestible.


Symbolism Isn’t Just an Aesthetic Choice—It’s a Strategy

One of the most striking aspects of Lamar’s performance was his use of visual storytelling. The prison yard set. The red, white and blue draped over Black bodies. The synchronized marching. The video game references. None of it was accidental. Every detail was designed to deepen the emotional impact of his message.

We believe the same is true for social movement storytelling. Symbolism isn’t decoration—it’s a strategic tool. The picture-superiority effect suggests that a well-placed visual cue is far more likely to be remembered than words alone. When we work with social impact organizations fighting challenging battles for issues like reproductive rights, labor justice and trans visibility, we ask: What do people need to feel before they understand what you’re saying? Because facts inform, but emotion moves people to action.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from Lamar’s performance is that discomfort is not the enemy—it’s the point. Social impact work should challenge assumptions, shift perspectives and push audiences to engage with hard truths.

As Shauna said, “Bold storytelling sparks dialogue, and dialogue is where change begins.”  Kendrick’s performance didn’t just make people watch—it made them feel. And for movements that challenge power, creating that kind of discomfort is often the first step toward a cultural shift.

Emotional resonance isn’t just a storytelling tool—it’s what makes messages stick. Research shows that people are far more likely to remember a message when it triggers an emotional response—especially when it highlights injustice. This reinforces a truth that every major movement for change has understood: growth comes from friction. Progress doesn’t happen passively. It requires people to engage with discomfort, challenge the status quo and push conversations forward, even when the path isn’t easy.

If you’re interested in active, powerful storytelling that sparks real impact and are ready to challenge the status quo with your own message, let’s talk. As Kendrick showed us—culture shifts when voices refuse to be silenced.

Kendrick Lamar Didn’t Just Perform—He Provoked. Here’s What We Can Learn About Narrative Power and Cultural Change.

The Power of Disruptive Storytelling

The Black Sheep blog is turning up the volume on community engagement, social media strategy, Houston happenings and what it means to lead a purpose-driven life.

The Black Sheep Agency | Social impact and nonprofit blog

We like to type as much as we like to listen.

We're not shy.

The Power of Disruptive Storytelling

Digital Predictions for 2024: 7 Trends to Watch

Elevating Creativity: Our 4-Day Workweek Experiment

Hopescrolling: Is Gen Z actually optimistic?

AI and the Future of Creative Work

Knowing Thy Neighbor

WTF is AI?

Meet Houston Landing: designing the next frontier of local news

Escaping our Social Media Spirals

7 Native American Designers You Should Know About

We are all we've got.

Supporting AAPI Heritage and Future

The Breakout Role

How Did We Become a B Corp?

Texas: The State of Our State

2021 Holiday Gift Guide

Giving Tuesday: A Day of Global & Digital Giving

Here's to the American Tradition

We’re the Agency for B Corps

Mandatory Time Off Is Our New Normal

The Black Sheep Agency Stands in Opposition to SB7

Better Business is a B Corp

The Hidden Political Life of Postage Stamps

5.4 Million Women Lost Their Jobs Last Year

A Collection of Podcasts for Black History and Black Culture

Black Excellence: A Short History of Black Sororities and Fraternities

We are hiring: Chief of Staff