Cultural Forces 2026: The Judgment Gap

What You Will Learn

Welcome to the next article in our series exploring the cultural forces shaping our world.

In pharma and healthcare, it’s important to understand the industry-specific forces driving change. We must also consider the larger forces shaping the wider culture. Our industry isn’t immune to these cultural forces. Patients, HCPs, and payers all participate in the wider culture.

Understanding cultural forces allows us to predict challenges and identify opportunities early. Our Klick Strategy community is always looking for new angles to help us understand the world.

One emerging cultural shift is becoming increasingly visible across workplaces, consumer behavior, and healthcare.

We do not lack information. We lack confidence in what to choose.

What Is the “Judgment Gap”?

For decades, the internet promised a world where access to information would empower people to make better decisions.

In many ways, that promise has been fulfilled. Answers are instant, expertise is widely accessible, and entire industries are built around delivering information faster than ever.

Yet this abundance has created a new problem.

Instead of empowering people, too much information can make decisions harder.

People are increasingly confronted with hundreds of choices, conflicting advice, endless reviews, and contradictory expert opinions. The result is not clarity, but uncertainty.

Many people now find themselves stuck in research loops—reading articles, watching videos, comparing reviews, and asking friends for advice, only to feel less certain than when they started.

In this environment, information is no longer scarce. The real scarcity is judgment.

This phenomenon is often described as decision fatigue or choice overload, where the cognitive effort required to make decisions becomes overwhelming. 

People increasingly want someone or something to help them decide.

The Signals

In the introductory article of this series, we introduced the concept of signals as “Leaves” in our model of cultural forces. Signals are the fast-moving trends and fads that represent a moment in time. As a collection, they can indicate the direction in which culture is moving.

Several signals and factors point to the emergence of the judgment gap.

Signal: Choice Overload

One of the defining characteristics of modern life is the sheer number of choices people face.

From streaming services to consumer products to medical information, people are presented with more options than ever before. While choice can be empowering, research consistently shows that too many options can actually reduce satisfaction and increase anxiety.

Instead of feeling empowered, people often feel overwhelmed.

A 2025 survey found that the average American second-guesses 41% of their daily decisions and one in eight  is an extreme overthinker who agonizes over nearly every choice. Over a quarter of respondents (27%) say even simple decisions cause them stress.

As the number of choices increases, the demand for guidance increases as well.

Signal: The “Claude Boys”

A growing number of people are using AI not just to find information but to help decide what to do next. 

In 2025, an online meme described a group of teenagers who called themselves “Claude Boys,” students who ask Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude what to do throughout their day. The joke portrayed teens consulting  AI for everything from homework strategies to social decisions, effectively treating it like a life advisor.

While partly satirical, the meme resonated. In a world of overwhelming choices, the “Claude Boys” hint at a future where AI becomes a constant decision companion. “The founder of one AI-companion product framed the advice issue more metaphysically, comparing the use of LLMs to talking to God: praying not for results but for answers on how to live.” This shift reflects a broader behavioral change. In a world of overwhelming options, people are increasingly comfortable outsourcing aspects of judgment to systems they trust to synthesize information and provide direction.

Signal: Patients Want GPS for Healthcare 

Surveys indicate that patients increasingly desire clear GPS-like guidance throughout their health journey. For example, a PwC 2025 Consumer Health report noted a rise in patients asking for personalized roadmaps (e.g., if diagnosed with a condition, which specialist to see, which rehab program to join, etc.). This mirrors how travelers use GPS despite having maps—people know the information exists, but they want a trusted guide to simplify the route. Health tech companies (and traditional tech) are responding with “digital front door” health platforms that attempt to triage and navigate patients seamlessly to the right care, acknowledging the judgment gap patients face.

These solutions acknowledge a core truth: for many patients, the challenge is not access to information but knowing how to act on it.

What Could the Judgment Gap Look Like in the Near Future?

As information continues to grow, the demand for trusted judgment will grow with it.

Consumers may increasingly rely on curated experiences, recommendation engines, and AI tools to help them navigate complex choices.

Media and technology platforms may shift from delivering information to delivering guidance.

Brands may begin positioning themselves not simply as providers of products or services, but as trusted decision partners.

Healthcare will not be immune to this shift. Patients may increasingly expect clearer guidance from both clinicians and digital tools when navigating treatment decisions.

We can already see this model outside healthcare. In financial services, brands like Fidelity and Vanguard have already made the shift, expanding from low-cost fund producers into holistic planning partners. These companies offer goal-based planning tools and year-round financial support to all investors, not just the wealthy. 

The organizations that can simplify complexity and provide confident recommendations may become the most trusted.

How to Leverage This Cultural Force

Healthcare organizations and brands should recognize that many people are struggling not with access to information but with interpreting it and providing actionable recommendations. 

Tools, services, and communications that simplify decisions and provide clear guidance will become increasingly valuable. This may include:

Healthcare providers may need to help patients navigate complex choices by presenting information in ways that are easier to understand and act on.

At the same time, trust and transparency will remain critical. The goal is not to replace human judgment, but to support it.

In a world overflowing with information, the organizations that help people make confident decisions will be the ones they trust most.

Klick Health is the world’s largest independent commercialization partner for life sciences and a leading full-service pharma marketing partner, serving as agency of record for leading pharma, biotech, and healthcare brands. Klick’s specialized offerings are rooted in deep medical and scientific understanding, including market insights, award-winning creative, and proprietary AI and data models to craft impactful brand narratives and seamless customer journeys. Backed by nearly 250 medical experts and advanced healthcare analytics, Klick delivers integrated marketing strategy and communications, from new product launch strategy to MLR review with real-world evidence, helping brands thrive in today’s complex healthcare landscape. Learn more at Klick.com.