The Future is Now

The future begins now. And by studying the past we can make an informed guess about the future. Enter the science (or art?) of futurology – also known as future studies or foresight. Forecasting future developments by studying current trends is not a new field but only took off in the 1960s. In today’s world the future is more relevant than ever because of the huge changes the world is undergoing, especially regarding science and technology: everyone knows Moore’s famous law that states computer speed is doubled every eighteen months. Such advances affect every part of our lives, from work to leisure, communication, transport and so on. Nowhere is that more true than the digital realm, which is influencing every item in the world: think of RFID chipped items in shops, the electronic engine control units in cars, the growing power of cellphones, the phasing out of cheques and paper money and the use of fingers and eyes instead of keys. Think back 25 years and imagine if someone told you that very soon it would be possible to phone someone anywhere in the world without a fixed line; that digital letters could be sent across the world in a matter of seconds or that a whole library of books could be stored on a computer no bigger than a box of corn flakes. You would have laughed at them back then, but now such technology is blasé.

It can be quite disturbing to feel that technology is developing faster than we can manage it or find uses for it, or that the world is going faster than we are. Alvin Toffler called this ‘future shock’: the “dizzying disorientation brought on by the premature arrival of the future.” When things change so quickly, you can’t feel alienated from the present and out of touch with society. The Future Watch will help you avoid future shock by giving you the future now, so you are ready and prepared when it comes barrelling down at you.

With the help of this blog, you can stay ahead of future trends, especially those related to technology and social media. After all, a lot of the world’s technology is aimed at communication (just look at how you’re reading this). We live in an information society where information is one of the most important commodities – just think of the Internet, which is redefining the way people consume news and entertain themselves: news, music and television are all heading for the Internet. The big question today is not “is print dead”, but “what will be the dominant e-book reader? The Kindle, Nook, or iPad?” If you don’t know much about any of them, don’t worry. Just sit back for a rollercoaster ride that will take you to the future.