Trends and Characteristics of Future Societies
Mans obsession with change and development has guided our endeavors in this ever-evolving world. We know our past and have predicted our future. Science fiction filmmakers and authors have given us a glimpse into the future will look like. Every technological development is established to make work easier and improve efficiency. From communication to heath and transport, technology moves us a step forward into the future. On the flip side, these emerging trends touted as the driving force into the future have their limitations that should be solved if we are to enjoy the fruits of globalization.
With regards to technology, science fiction films and books try to portray how the future will look like with all the advanced technology. Man has not yet landed on mars but there is no doubt that we all have a picture of how the place looks like. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will probably shape the future of robotics. The ability of machines to learn and mimic human ability with absolute precision will definitely change how we do things (UTS, 2020). Augmented reality will enable people to interact with each other and objects in virtual environments. This development will revolutionize television and entertainment.
In this century, technology has changed pretty rapidly leading to new inventions as old ones become obsolete. It is the developed and developing countries that are leading this digital race. For example, with the old computers users solely relied on internal and external drives to store their data, but now with the development of cloud computing, information can easily be stored into some invisible cloud. Amazons and Microsoft are leading in the cloud technology. To facilitate artificial intelligence and machine learning, data is collected via online platforms without the user’s knowledge. This phishing methods have sparked civil unrest among internet activists (Car, Sheikh, Wicks, & Williams, 2019). To protect against such illegal activities governments have come up with regulations.
Since 1960, each decade has had its own share of ethical issues that shaped how business is done. For instance, in the 2000s, economic downturns and excessive risk taking by cooperation introduced unhealthy competition. Peoples personal data is illegally collected and sold openly. Terrorism and recession impact negatively on major economies leading to mass layoffs. To manage this ethical issue, the government (Ethics Compliance Initiative, 2020)
Finally, on environmental matters, since mid-last century people have become more aware of their immediate surrounding. Knowledge about the effects of climate change has informed how we live our life. There is enough proof that the world will continue to face an irreversible climate crisis. The ecosystem will be pushed to the limit and some organisms will be extinct in the near future. Plant and animal habitats like the Amazon that are rapidly changing. Global warming is set to increase thus threatening ice cape and the arctic, this will increase the sea level and submerge low lying regions (Shaftel, 2020). Some of our mega metropolis in coastal regions my not survive up to the next century due to rising sea levels.
The greatest emerging environmental issue is global warming. Our response to this crisis will determine the future of posterity. The global carbon dioxide has already exceeded the tipping point. The UN Environmental Program warns that carbon emissions must fall by 7.6 percent to secure a future on this planet (Global Stewards, 2020). Climate change is a direct result of human activity, the earth would naturally sustain all humans, but people have gone to extreme levels to satisfy their greed.
The main course of global warming is the use of fossil fuel and greenhouse gasses emitted through deforestation and extensive agriculture. To manage climate, change the use of fossil fuel should be eliminated by embracing renewable energy. Farmers should also practice Sustainable agriculture and introduce reforestation (Saklani & Khurana, 2019) . Some motor companies are considering introduction of electric cars to limit exhaust fumes that pollute the air and accelerate the disintegration of the ozone layer. To adequately manage the adverse effects of climate change, stakeholders must be willing to come together and chart a common path into a future without fossil fuel.
The development brings the much-desired change but has its own challenges. At the beginning of the new century, countries experienced massive economic growth, and it was expected that this development would last, unfortunately, recession was inevitable. Currently, the world is struggling with economic shocks from the Covid-19 pandemic. Lack of sufficient information about the virus coupled with containment measures has impacted severely on emerging markets. The future of technology is predictable; artificial intelligence and machine learning will dominate the field of robotics. In the cooperate sphere, ethics have evolved to protect people’s personal information and discourage unhealthy business competition. Finally, environmental issues are at the core of our existence on this planet. Climate change threatens the wellbeing of humanity. Corporations and governments have plans to address this problem. It is no secret that future societies will be more developed than the current and the past but not without a fair share of advanced challenges.