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Every year in January, together with the new year, there are many predictions about what awaits us.
This year, device fatigue is rampant, smart consumers are not affected by novelty and the so-called “techlash” against major tech companies such as Facebook and Google is fully in force. And with climate change and increasing natural disasters, people are starting to question the CO2 footprint of devices and data.
Plus, 2020 is not just a “decade.” We have officially introduced ‘the future’, a fact that becomes clear when you consider that some of the most famous science fiction films are now taking place in the past; the rainy, neon-lit dystopian world of Blade Runner took place in November 2019 and Stanley Kubrick’s 2010: A Space Odyssey a full decade ago.
So what does that mean for this year?
Of course there are flashy wearables, new smartphone models and efforts to bring virtual reality mainstream. But the real innovations and trends to look at are the ones that you may have to see a little harder to see.
The struggle for balance
Our smartphones don’t seem to be going anywhere, but our relationship with them is clearly changing. In recent years, just as people have talked about technological innovations, they have also begun to talk about the pretentious grasp of those tools, from screen time issues to concerns about smartphone addiction.
Avery Swartz, author of the upcoming book See You on the Internet, says we should expect a continuous dialogue in 2020 about how we integrate technology into our lives in a healthy and thoughtful way.
Instagram has hidden like counts from users in various countries, including Canada. (Kate Bueckert / CBC)
Swartz predicts further changes in hardware and apps, following the example of Instagram’s ongoing experiments with removing the “like” count on messages from users in different markets around the world. She also expects movements from major technology companies such as Apple and Google to provide users with time control and greater insight into their personal device usage.
Sustainable practices
Madeline Ashby, a futurist and science fiction novelist, says that in addition to efforts to curb “digital addiction” such as “digital detoxes” and “digital sabbaticals”, we will see more of a push toward minimalism, and noted that consumers are becoming more ecological set.
Ashby calls this “ethical consumption” (note that the term can be contradictory), where consumers make social and political choices when purchasing, or the lack thereof. She says the trend will grow as the prosperity gap increases and the effects of climate change increase.
In light of recurring climate disasters, there is indeed a sharp and relatively sudden desire on the part of consumers to find out more about the carbon footprint of their devices, says Katina Michael, a professor at the School for the Future of Innovation at Society in Arizona State University.
She witnessed koalas begging people for water, the sky turned red and the sand turned black as they returned home to the Australian bushfire crisis during the holidays. practices.
“Nothing threatens innovation and progress such as catastrophe, but nothing drives innovation such as the loss of humans or wildlife,” says Michael.
“If we are without power, access to an ATM, access to mobile phones or even the internet, we become particularly innovative.”
LEO satellites
As for the coming year (literally) on the horizon, a lot of tech Experts agree that LEO (low earth orbit) satellites have the most potential to be a game changer, especially in Northern Canada.
Most satellites float above the equator, and while “that’s great for TV,” says Duncan Stewart, director of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte Canada, “if you want to use a satellite for internet data, that’s too far away, which means there will be a delay. ”
Satellites that are placed closer to Earth have low latency and constellations formed by hundreds of these LEO satellites are scheduled to have full service in parts of Canada by the end of the year, now that OneWeb and SpaceX have launched of it.
Seen here, the track of nearly 60 satellites was recorded by Marco Langbroek. The Starlink satellites were launched on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 23, 2019. (Marco Langbroek)
Nuvujaq Inc. develops next-generation satellite and “edge” computer networks. With edge computing, data storage and processing takes place closer to where it is used or accessed, to reduce latency.
Co-founder Madeline Redfern says that although LEO satellite networks make high-quality internet possible around the world, there are still many questions about their financial and technological viability. She expects the real potential of this technology to become clearer in 2020.
“In places like Nunavut, LEOs will enable us to do things that the rest of the country takes for granted,” says Redfern. “Videoconferencing will finally work, allowing friends and family to stay connected and potentially revolutionize health and education services.”
Shifting global superpowers
In 2019, the rising international popularity of the Chinese social media app TikTok posed a threat to the supremacy of Silicon Valley.
“China is shaping the world order as it sees fit and exports its technologies and surveillance systems to other countries around the world,” said Amy Webb, professor at the Stern School of Business at New York University and the founder and CEO of the Future Today Institute .
China has talked openly about its plans for cyber sovereignty, that is, controlling all internet activities within its borders, and “is rising rapidly to global supremacy,” Webb says.
Webb says that when China expands to African countries, Southeast Asia and Latin America, it will also begin to refrain from operating systems, technologies and infrastructure built by the West. She says that China has already announced that it will no longer use American computers and software.
All in all, 2020 is ready for a big year for technology. But it probably won’t be because of a murderous app or a shiny new device. In fact, you are skipping all the great product launches and press releases this year. The most exciting things are harder to see, but can have a lasting impact when it comes to how we deal with technology, with each other and with the world around us.
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