What's next?
This decade is coming to an end.
It came in with all the attention on Y2K and is going out with our world forever changed. Many things, big and small, have morphed our society: The terrorist attacks on 9-11, the mass adoption of cell phones, and the changes in communication due to social media are just a few things that have impacted the ways we live.
Trends come and go. Products and services rise and fall in their impact. Everything has been changing since the beginning of time.
New York Magazine has a current list of the things that have gone obsolete from our lives in the last ten years. This includes:
The Rolodex - We all have databases and cell phones where we keep our contact information.
The Answering Machine - Voicemail in our phones has replaced the need for a separate machine.
The Lickable Stamp - Self adhesive rules the day.
Foldable Paper Road Maps - Three letter: G-P-S.
Cathode Ray Tube Television - Flatscreen TV's outsell the old style now.
Incandescent Light Bulb - Already banned in Europe for environmental reasons, will soon be phased out in US.
Paid Pornography - They claim everyone gets their porn for free.
Smoking in Bars - Hmmm, I guess that depends on where you live.
Fax Machine - It was just a fad. A 25 year fad, but gone none the less (we all use email and PDF).
Hydrox Cookie - What? I didn't even notice, but it is true.... one can only find Oreo Cookies now. I loved the Hydrox. RIP.
Cassette Tape - Now with it's distant cousin the 8-Track.
French Franc - Euro.
Floppy Disc - I remember when thumb drives appeared, now they are king.
Phone Book - One just arrived on my porch last week. They had merged the white and yellow pages into one, as there is no advertising in it any more. Hello Google.
Polaroid Photo - Don't count Polaroid out just yet, they are looking at releasing some new products.
Bank Deposit Slips - Ummmm I still use these.
Subway Token - I live in Austin, this city has avoided any real mass transit for decades, so I have no idea.
Interesting list of things that have gone away (or almost) in the last decade, but it makes me wonder what we will be talking about having had its time gone by in 2019.
Think about it. The phone book? Who would have guessed that this staple would now be a joke thanks to the internet and Google. Could Google be yesterday's news tomorrow?
The hot social media properties of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others could vanish as fast as they arrived when something new comes along.
Maybe the internal combustion engine could be gone in a decade as new ways to power transportation are discovered and fine tuned.
If the recession does not end, maybe jobs could become obsolete (okay, that was a joke)
I believe that the speed at which products and services appear and get wide spread adoption is increasing. The "new new" thing is coming... but what it it?
What is next?
Have A Great Day.
thom
3 comments:
Tokens were replaced with Metro Cards in NYC. It allows the MTA to steal back all the unused rides by tourists, lost cards, and such. Tokens used to mean something.
That is quite a list. I am hoping to stay relevant for another decade!
My daughter Lucy just turned one last week. We don't have a land line. I think it's weird that she will grow up not knowing about corded phones. (And what will she think when she sees those "old-fashioned" Seinfeld reruns with those gigantic cordless phones!?)
I also think it's weird that Twitter is older than her.
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