1969: What a time to have been alive! January 30th, The Beatles played their last show. July 20th, the world watched in utter amazement as Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first humans to ever walk on the moon. But, most importantly, the year 1969 would lay the foundation for the modern internet as we know it today.
A system that has transformed society in every way possible and continues to show the world its enormous power. It’s strange to think about how quickly it has evolved, and with the level of advancement it is at currently, what will the next 10 years look like?
In the past, this construct was merely a thought from out of this world, so we can only try and assume what the future has in store – should we be excited about the post-modern internet revolution, or fearful?
We believe with improved cooperation, economic equality, privacy, and security, digital life will change society for the better in the future, here’s why:
1. Exciting forms of communication
For most people, distance has become an irrelevant factor in contemporary society. The internet has placed smaller boundaries on communication allowing people all around the world to communicate in real-time. With communication being so boundless already, what’s next?
We can already see how the written word is being replaced by advanced vocal communication like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. We foresee the evolution of vocalization becoming incredibly advanced and more precise, and perhaps, in ways, it will allow individuals to communicate and interact with the environment more dynamically.
In a country as diverse as South Africa, we look forward to a day where advancement in vocal recognition includes our eleven official languages.
2. An integrated world
At the rate we’re going, we’re pretty sure that what we know about the modern digital world will be completely obsolete in the next 10 years. The way in which we receive and interpret communication will all be embedded in it, making the distinction between the natural and digital world no longer two separate entities.
Technological advancement that we have not even thought about today will be our reality in future. This is exciting merely for the opportunities that lie ahead in the betterment of our human existence, especially within the medical, healthcare, and education sectors.
Intelligent technologies give us something to be optimistic about for the future – to better understand what is it that we require to optimise structures for a more efficient, integrated society that is beneficial to us all.
3. Unbound Virtual Reality
Like we mentioned before, the years to come will likely boast a mutuality between our digital and physical worlds. As scary as that may sound, the optimism lies in the fact that the limitations set on contemporary communication that isn’t an equal entity and many individuals around the world still lack access to the benefits that it possesses, will have been lifted.
In the future (and we hope that it’s near), our wish is that the construct of virtual reality aids in the progression of all, providing hope to those that still lack the access to the resources they so badly need.
May it be access to medical care, education, or just boundaryless communication – we foresee technology aiding the socio-economic problems we have today AND solving the problems of tomorrow.
