Are you ready for situationships and tech grief? Those are just some of the phenomena making their mark on our changing world, according to futurist Dion Chang.
Dion Chang might not have a crystal ball – but he does have hours and hours (and hours) of reading and research behind him, all of which help him identify the forces that are likely to play a part in shaping our lives as we move forward.
You can read all about them in The Future: More than 80 key trends for South Africa, which he recently penned with fellow futurists Bronwyn Williams and Faeeza Khan, who work alongside him at Flux Trends, the agency he founded 18 years ago to help companies navigate an uncertain future.
It’s not easy work, Dion admits. ‘We are constantly watching developments to pick up signals and evaluate whether a phenomenon is a fad, or if it will have a real trajectory – and, if it does, how it will impact on society and on businesses.’ They don’t always get it right – Dion confesses that he was certain that, by now, we’d be modelling our jeans in change rooms with augmented reality mirrors, but we’re already seeing many of the company’s predictions play out.
Isn’t that a little scary – especially since we have no idea what a world where things like AI are real factors rather than abstract concepts will look like? ‘I have the benefit of being able to look at them from an arm’s length. The way I see it, the future is what it is. The question is, what can we do so that we know how to handle it?’
So, what can we look forward to? Let’s start with technology, where Dion says that we’re starting to notice the limitations of AI. Those limitations will become less significant when AI and robotics (previously viewed as being on opposite ends of the spectrum) start to merge in an I, Robot-type reality. ‘Imagine an interactive AI driving your automated fleet,’ Dion says.
Next, retail. Hands up. who’s bought something online in the past week or so? Yup, most of us – since Covid days, even those who felt deeply sceptical have been tempted by the convenience of shopping without leaving home. And who’s trawled social media in the past, oh, few minutes? Now, countries like China are combining the clout of social platforms with online shopping to create social commerce. That’s where you get to watch your favourite influencer (who, by the way, is probably hanging out in their own cubicle in a dedicated warehouse, along with hundreds of other influencers doing the same thing) as they try to flog you everything from weight loss products to handbags. It’s a highly personal experience … they’ll even thank you, in real time, should you make a purchase. It’s a little like telesales on steroids, says Dion.
In the world of economics, things are starting to look seriously dystopian, he warns. ‘We’ve been tracking the phenomenon of the ‘missing middle’ in South Africa for the past three years, but it’s clear that the middle class is actually on shaky ground the world over.’ Consider that, in some parts of the world, there are skilled people who get up every day to go to work, and come home to … a car, parked in the lot of a local church or supermarket. It might not be comfy, but it’s more affordable than renting an apartment. Dion’s even heard of a student who flies to Vancouver a few times a week to attend university lectures, because it’s cheaper than renting an apartment in the city.
Things aren’t looking great in the natural world, either. It seems that people can’t deny the reality of climate change any longer – but, rather than take steps to turn it around, we’re finding ways to live with it. Agriculture is a case in point – welcome to the world of heat resistant cows, where the splicing of a gene has made it possible for cows to grow shorter coats so that they don’t sweat as easily. That means they get less distressed, so we can continue to drink as much milk as we want. There’s also news of a heat resistant apple which was unveiled at a food fair in Berlin last year.
The Flux Trends crew have been keeping an eye on the sphere of democracy, too, where it’s alarming to note that, according to the Swedish organisation, the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the idea of democracy is not as popular as it once was. In fact, 52 per cent of people surveyed across 77 countries agree that it might be a good thing to have a strong leader who is not beholden to legislature – a benign dictatorship, if you will. We’re already seeing the impact of what Dion calls ‘polyamorous politics’ with our own GNU, forming out of this year’s election – and with more countries heading to the polls, we can expect ‘people picking from a buffet of different ideologies rather than wishing for the full three-courses of democracy,’ Dion says. We’re also seeing an interesting gender split as right- and left-wing ideologies divide people along issues like abortion rights.
Finally, in the socio-cultural sphere, the post-Covid world sees us negotiating new social contracts. On the work front, this means that relationships are less transactional and more flexible, while in our social lives, they’re playing out in an interesting way. ‘The nuclear family is changing. We’re seeing the emergence of the child-free movement and the prevalence of situationships, where people hook up for a while rather than committing to a relationship. Then there are people who are choosing AI companionship over people, leading to ‘tech grief’ – which is what happens when the AI you’ve been spending time with collapses or the software is discounted.’
It’s all a little weird, and not totally wonderful – but Dion says the best way we can prepare ourselves (and perhaps, maybe more importantly, our kids) is to remember that not everything we see online is real. ‘We’re entering a bit of a twilight zone, where things we think are certain aren’t, and what’s presented as right is sometimes wrong. Our classrooms aren’t really geared to help us navigate this reality, so we have to be prepared to cultivate a curious mindset. Keep questioning and interrogating so you’re clear on where those boundaries lie.’
Details: www.fluxtrends.com, @dionchang
The Future by Dion Chang, Bronwyn Williams, and Faeeza Khan is a new essential guide to, in a world changing at a pace previously unheard of, successfully navigating the complexities ahead. Using the six key pillars of technology, retail and marketing, the economy, the natural world, diplomacy and society, this book talks about where the world is and where it’s going, in more than 80 trends. Tafelberg
