Whether you own a business or are simply trying to make sense of the ever-evolving world of tech within your personal life, it’s important to understand just much the world around you is changing.
Although we certainly live in an era where we’re glued to our smartphones and tech at large seems to be getting smaller, there are much bigger things at work regarding how technology will forever change our lives.
Understanding the following five tech trends can open your eyes to what to expect from the near future as companies are constantly scrambling for “the next big thing.” Each movement on this checklist deserves your attention as we continue through 2017 and beyond.
The idea of people being connected to everything, from home devices to smartphones, has been evolving for years but still has some ways to go. Virtual assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and other “smart” devices are indeed sowing the seeds of truly connected households, but the IoT goes far beyond the confines of the home. The industrial Internet of Things is translating the concept of connectivity into massive structures, including power plants and submarines.
Bigger Data
Much more than a buzzword, companies today are collecting and utilizing huge amounts of big data to both make marketing decisions and tailor their products to consumers.
Consider, for example, the rise of highly personalized recommendations from platforms such as Netflix based on the information of millions of users. Furthermore, marketers are leveraging programmatic advertising, which only serves ads to adjust themselves to target specific consumers based on big data.
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AR and VR
Although the current landscape of AR and VR seems like little more than fun and games, both technologies look to make major splashes as companies such as Facebook look to create unique virtual environments for users. From communicating with others to undertaking tasks as complex as surgery, seeing where this tech goes within the next five years will be fascinating.
Furthermore, expect to see more and more AR and VR-related apps and third-party headsets as the technology becomes cheaper.
The Death of Traditional Cable
Although this trend has been seen as a long time coming and without major societal implications, bear in mind that the emergence of new platforms from Facebook and YouTube is bucking the concept of consuming more media on the go than ever before and cutting the cord with a cornerstone of American culture.
Automation
Finally, many people are frantic over the concept of a robot takeover in the face of “automation,” but that’s not really what the idea is about. In short, many sales, retail, and secretarial jobs will likely go the way of the dinosaur, as computers can carry such roles. While this does strike fear in some, the fact remains that automation should work to make our lives easier (although that reality remains to be seen).
As the tech world never slows down, we must keep up with the times. Keep an eye on these trends to see which reign supreme in years to come.
