Top 10 Trends That Are Making The World A Better Place
#10: The Streaming Wars
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Netflix forever changed the game with an innovative over-the-top content platform. It remains the most popular streaming service with over 195 million subscribers worldwide while Prime Video sits in second place with 150 million. Despite only launching in November 2019, Disney+ has accumulated over 85 million subscribers and the Mouse House plans to focus on streaming content for the foreseeable future. Disney is also the parent company of Hulu and ESPN+. From Apple TV+ to Peacock, every major company wants in on the streaming action. While Warner Bros. isn’t abandoning cinemas completely, the decision to simultaneously release their 2021 movie slate on HBO Max could signify the new normal, even in a post-pandemic world. If Quibi proved anything, though, it’s that streaming isn’t an automatic goldmine.
#9: Extended Reality
Virtual reality has been a topic of conversation since well before the 21st century, but the idea has just started to meet its potential with products like Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. The technology is not only being used amongst gamers and consumers, but also in military training. VR is just the tip of the iceberg, however. There’s also augmented reality, in which real-world objects are digitally enhanced, and mixed reality, which blends the real and virtual world together. All of this falls under the umbrella of extended reality, or XR, which combines immersive tech of every kind. XR is showing widespread growth in entertainment, medicine, retail, and numerous other industries. By 2023, it’s been forecasted that the XR market could skyrocket to $209 billion.
#8: Videotelephony
The earliest forms of videotelephony can be traced back to 1927 when AT&T experimented with the technology. It’s only been in recent years, however, that “picture phones'' have started to catch up with their pop culture counterparts. You might not have heard of Zoom before the pandemic hit, but now it’s practically entered our everyday vocabulary. Zoom is just one of the many videotelephony services that people have come to rely on for business meetings, education, and social get-togethers. While we’re inclined to see a return to in-person events eventually, video calls and videoconferencing have officially become a part of the mainstream. For loved ones who live far away and companies that went permanently remote due to the pandemic, videotelephony is here to stay.
#7: Space Travel
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In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Over 50 years later, ehhh… we’re still working on Mars, but Elon Musk and SpaceX are moving things along. While the SpaceX Starship is still being tested, the SN8 prototype did successfully pull off a high-altitude flight in December 2020. Granted, the landing needs some work, but it’ll take more than an explosion to slow Musk down. SpaceX remains optimistic that Starship will commence its missions to the moon in 2022, paving the way for the first flight to Mars in 2024 and the first crewed mission three years later. We may be getting ahead of ourselves, but the idea of taking commercial flights to a Mars colonization is becoming increasingly probable.
#6: The Internet of Things
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For many years, we associated the internet solely with home computers and laptops. Over time, however, the internet has invaded our phones, watches, TVs, cars, and various other devices. This has given birth to the term, “internet of things,” or “IoT.” The “things” in question are installed with technologies that allow users to connect and exchange data across various objects. IoT has thus become intertwined with the smart home concept, providing a common link between your lights, ventilation, security, and other applications. “IoT” doesn’t just apply to homes either. The technology has also become prominent among urban areas, the military, and the healthcare industry. “Internet of things” might sound like a broad term, but it perfectly sums up this trend’s limitless reach.
#5: Digital Currency & Cryptocurrency
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Although physical currency will likely always have a place in society, digital currency is simply more convenient, not to mention cleaner. The spread of COVID has only turned more consumers off from dirty dollars and coins. Cryptocurrency, in particular, has the potential to change the global economy as we know it. Where digital money is centralized, cryptocurrency is decentralized, allowing online transactions to take place without an intermediary. Since Bitcoin was introduced in 2009, a long list of other cryptocurrencies have gained prominence, including Ethereum and XRP. With Facebook’s Diem currency expected to launch in 2021, blockchain-based payment systems are on the rise. Even Wells Fargo has reportedly been “discussing the digital asset space more,” meaning crypto banks may take off as well.
#4: 3D & 4D Printing
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The idea of being able to print a three-dimensional object sounds like something purely out of science fiction. Using 3D printers, though, people are not only creating nifty toys to display in their offices, but also bionic body parts that could improve lives. 3D printing also helps doctors to create medical equipment specifically tailored to the patient’s anatomy. Outside of healthcare, 3D printing can be further used to feed the hungry, build more houses, reduce waste, and much more. 3D printing is quite literally evolving with the innovation of 4D printing, in which a three-dimensional object changes shape over time when influenced by external factors. Just as our creativity has no boundaries, 3D and 4D printing offer endless possibilities that have only been touched upon.
#3: Drones
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Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, have become increasingly practical for delivering Amazon packages, food, and medical supplies. The next natural step would be for cargo drones to revolutionize the shipping industry. Since drones were originally created for military operations, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’re also being utilized for law enforcement, firefighting, and surveillance. In 2019, it was reported that at least 279 lives had been saved thanks to search and rescue drones. These uncrewed vehicles have done wonders for the environment as well, allowing us to keep track of endangered species and ecosystems. From disease control, to real estate, to entertainment, you’d be hard-pressed to find an industry that hasn’t found a use for drones.
#2: 5G
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Speed has been the main talking point regarding the fifth generation of wireless networking, or 5G. At 20 Gigabits-per-second, you can download a two-hour film in a snap. Over time, it’s believed that 5G could be almost 100 times quicker than 4G. In addition to being faster, 5G will take bandwidth to the next level, permitting us to control more connected devices than ever before. This means that 5G likely won’t just have an impact on cellular networks, but also cars, homes, and entire cities. It’s yet another example of how the “internet of things” is changing the world. By 2025, the GSM Association expects that there will be over 1.7 billion 5G network subscribers. The future can’t get here fast enough. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Drive-In Movies As Movie Theaters Struggle, an Old Trend Makes a Comeback Edge Computing Pushing Cloud Computing to the Edge Distributed Ledgers Databases That Exist Across Multiple Places Robotic Process Automation Making Work Easier For Us Humans Autonomous Vehicles Because Who Doesn’t Want a Self-Driving Car?
#1: Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
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AI ties into almost every other entry on our list in one way or another, making it an obvious candidate for our top spot. Honestly, we could make an entire video about how AI is changing the world and still not have enough time to explore everything. We’re all familiar with virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri, but AI is growing rapidly in ways that you probably weren’t even aware of. Through machine learning, systems are able to learn and evolve without human interference. While that admittedly sounds kind of creepy, ML has the potential to benefit numerous sectors including healthcare, transportation, and education. By 2025, the AI market is projected to reach $190 billion, meaning we can expect even greater innovations to come.
