The Future 100, the trend report that Wunderman Thompson publishes every year, reveals that cautious optimism will drive the year 2021. According to the study, which traces the influential micro changes in culture, technology and innovation, food & beverage, travel and accommodation, brands and marketing, business, beauty, retail, health and finance, the impact of technology in the field of economy and culture is gaining momentum. Although it requires a long discussion on each trend under 10 headings, let's look at the developments shaped only in the topic of technology and innovation in the page allocated to us.
Return to home and nature
The first advance in technology and innovation - not surprisingly - is "virtual athletics" due to increased physical distances. We can say that a market that can serve as an alternative to professional sports is emerging when we talk about dating, collaborations between traditional sports and e-sports and the increase of in-home amateur sports. Many brands such as Adidas, Aston Martin and Zwift are investing in this trend that brings sports, wearable technologies, different follow-up and suggestion applications and virtual races beyond the physical world and brings together the colors of the virtual world with real-time experiences.
The responsibility that comes with technological power
We have been talking about the surveillance capitalism model for a long time, based on the tracking and analyzing of the digital footprint, and its reuse on humans to stimulate the appetite for consumption. According to Bloomberg data, digital information stored in data centers is responsible for 2 percent of global electricity consumption, and this rate is expected to reach 8 percent by 2030. Every e-mail sent from mobile phones or desktop computers causes ecological costs; In this system, where every minute spent playing games raises the planet's temperature, expecting a data responsibility from technology giants is also part of the sensitivities of our age. Microsoft and Google are responding to demands for data responsibility by building zero-carbon data centers. With the development of 5G and cloud systems, it is thought that radical changes will be created in the way people consume technology, and software compatible with these technologies will be much more environmentally friendly. These are the possibilities for tomorrow… Today, the increase in time spent working remotely, shopping online and playing games imposes much more urgent environmental measures.
Great technology pays atonement
Democratic concerns as well as ecological concerns urge technology giants to act responsibly. We have left behind a year where we have seen the negative effects of synthetic media technologies, especially deepfake images and videos, more frequently. It is not a false prediction to claim that investments in artificial intelligence-based technologies that detect deepfakes will increase, especially as disinformation for the Covid-19 and 2020 US Presidential Elections continues to undermine a reliable digital ecosystem.
Another of the Future100 technology and innovation trends centered around responsibility is the further mobilization of technology for good. The tolerance of legislators, decision makers and citizens towards big tech companies is decreasing. A study conducted by Accountable Tech in June shows that 85 percent of Americans think the power of these companies is overwhelming. The federal and state lawsuits against Google, Facebook and Amazon are also peppering this. Nevertheless, it is possible that we will see a new generation of start-ups in the Silicon Valley in the near or medium-term future, Applications and software that are committed to re-humanize the enduring, ethical and digital environment by freeing them from polarization and fake news are increasing day by day.
New horizons of travel
Aviation, one of the pandemic victim industries, is inevitably undergoing transformation. For now, the list of suggestions seems to be about contactless travel. From the airport security gate to the check-in or baggage delivery points, from in-flight entertainment systems to toilets, hygiene and social distance standards are becoming stricter in all details that constitute the components of a journey; consumer satisfaction is tried to be re-established. Get ready for brand new airport and flight experiences
Mixed realities revealed
According to the Future100 report, differentiating from augmented reality and virtual reality, mixed reality adds flavor to the gaming experience by placing real objects in a virtual world. Mixed reality applications are attracting the attention of gaming companies such as Riot Games and Nintendo, as well as major technology companies such as Google and Facebook.
The latest trend in technology and innovation trends is about the privacy of young generations. According to research by security company AVG, 92 percent of US children get digital visibility before they reach the age of 2, due to parents who do not stop posting online
Let us add that other 90 trends that Wunderman Thompson handled under different titles also got their share from technology. However, isn't there a bitter truth that attracts your attention in these 10 trends put forward under the title of technology and innovation? The trail and dominance of large technology companies in many industries, especially in travel, entertainment and health, has reached a thought-provoking proportions. Who knows, maybe one of the prominent trends of the next year will be anti-trust technology and innovation laws.