It’s wildly popular for writers (present company included) to predict some interesting things for the forthcoming year. Will Trump win in November? Probably not, but we all knew that. Can we incapacitate ISIS? Nobody will “end” a 1,000+ year Holy War, but I’m sure hoping forces band together to weed out insurgents trying to maim the world.
Apart from the aforementioned obvious questions we all have as we hit the ground running in 2016, let’s see what other areas of society will see (ahem) improvement in some regard or another.
Predictive television viewing — of sorts
Knowing what the “next big sitcom” is can make a massive difference to your future television watching. Some people have a knack for judging the next best thing on television, which they gladly share with friends and family. However, for the vast majority of us too busy to pay attention to the McDreamy’s of the world, it can be very difficult to know what is coming next on TV.
Well, maybe television isn’t on the verge of “mind reading”, but businesses and analytical models that can help guide your choices to what’s hot across the planet are already on the rise. If Siri won’t tell you about Breaking Bad, companies like Binge Out will aggregate the hottest shows on earth and present them to you in such a fashion that you’ll feel compelled to view something new.
Amazon, of course, will be somewhere on the television front.
Digital scam detection shall reach fruition
If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be calling from your bank or the local council, your initial reaction will be to take this call at face value. After all, these people are likely to have your phone number, so them calling you out of the blue isn’t completely unexpected. It is definitely uncommon, it is not as if there are a lot of calls made in this nature, but it is not beyond the realms of possibility, and this is why this is sort of call is often the ideal way for fraudsters to deal with fraud.
Technology is brewing that may assist in detecting patterns which lead to digital duplicity. 2016 is when society puts their foot down and demands someone stop fraudsters and their digital thievery.
Businesses will take carbon reduction seriously — finally
Climate change concerns, coupled with an alarming rise in energy bills, have made investing in renewable energy a logical choice. Businesses that reduce their reliance on fossil fuels are able to save money in the long term, supported by government schemes that reward businesses for their commitment to green energy.
Solar panels, biomass boilers and green energy procurement are just some of the ways for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. It’s a cost that can be especially challenging to manage for those businesses lacking financial flexibility, but carbon reduction will become a headline in 2016 at some point.
Late in the year, you will see:
Consumers begin demanding greener gadgetry
Green energy is the go word for the future as the world slowly weans itself away from its dependence on industrial and non-renewable energy sources, technology driving green living is beginning to trickle out onto the mainstream consumer market in ingenious ways.
By coupling ingenuity with the need for consumers to cut down energy costs wherever possible, solar power is being harnessed in an ever increasing myriad of clever and practical ways. And with NFC, RFID and other forms of invisible radiation predicted to become an eyesore in the health industry at some point, Apple and other gadget gods will take consumer health — and the demand for a greener future — more seriously.
Chicago Cubs win the World Series
Now, this isn’t necessarily a biased statement. I make this prediction “as a statement of fact” rather than an unspoken prayer.
You have to admit, sports fans — Theo & Co. did exactly what they said, when they said they’d do it. We have one of the more revered lineups in MLB, have youth on our side, money to spend and are coming off an incredible season which saw 97 games get won. This is the year — although it’s one off the Back to the Future prediction.
