Futurist proved correct! …and today describes the extraordinary social technologies of 2016 (release)
This morning Future Exploration Network issued this press release (excuse the hyperbole :-) ) I have already done several radio interviews on the forecasts in the release with quite a few more radio, newspaper and TV interviews lined up for the next days – the ideas seem to have struck a chord.
Futurist proved correct! …and today describes the extraordinary social technologies of 2016
Seven years ago, in his prescient book Living Networks, global leading futurist Ross Dawson accurately described the networked world of today, anticipating social networks, Twitter, corporate blogging, crowd-sourcing, personalised advertising, virtual personal assistants and much else that is now familiar to us.
Today, he offers insights into the extraordinary world of technology we will experience seven years into the future.
Ross’s forecasts for 2016 include:
• Many people will wear video glasses as they commute and walk around, experiencing new forms of television, news updates, and detailed information about the world around them and people they meet.
• ‘Lifestreaming’ will be commonplace, in which we capture, store and share on social networks almost continuous videos, photos, sounds and conversations from our everyday lives.
• We will have natural telephone conversations with computers, with almost all call centre staff replaced by automated systems.
• Public measures of individual reputation will guide who we hire, do business with, and go on dates with.
• Over 40% of adults will work independently rather than as company employees, many providing services to organisations all over the world instead of commuting to an office every day.
• A next generation of ‘thought interfaces’ will allow us to control our computers just by thinking. While the technology will still be relatively basic, we will have begun to merge machines and humans.
Ross’s second book, Living Networks, published in 2002, opens with a description of corporate blogging, and discusses the idea of social networks years before MySpace or Facebook existed, as well as the rise of “micro-messages,” anticipating the Twitter phenomenon.
The book describes in detail how to create success in the hyper-connected world we live in. Living Networks was recently launched in an Anniversary Edition, as its insights are just as relevant today as when it was first published. Every chapter in the book can be downloaded from www.livingnetworksbook.com.
As Chairman of leading international future consulting group Future Exploration Network, Ross works globally speaking and consulting about the future of business.
His break-neck speaking schedule takes him regularly to exotic locations all over the world, with keynotes given in every continent except Antarctica.
Ross’s recent media appearances include ABC TV, SkyNews, New York Times, USA Today and The Guardian. His Trends in the Living Networks blog (www.rossdawsonblog.com) is ranked as one of the top business blogs in the world, and is used as a source by journalists everywhere.
