Technological Convergence: Disruption Crosses Many Industries
Have you heard of the Volvo 360C?
This was a new design that was introduced by Volvo. According to the company, they feel they are about to disrupt the air travel industry.
Yes you read that correctly. Air travel.
How does a car affect air travel? Shouldn't a new car disrupt the automobile industry?
The idea is that for many domestic flights, NYC to Philly or D.C. as an example, can be quicker by car. The reasoning is the time it takes to get to the airport, get through security, wait for the plane, board, take off, land, deboard, and get out of the airport ends up being longer than just driving. Throw in a few delays for mechanical problems and we can see how bad things can get.
The Volvo 360C is not just a car, it is a traveling pod. It has a stronger resemblance to a sleeper car on a train than it does a normal automobile.
https://www.volvocars.com/us/cars/concepts/360c
Technology replacing what we know is not that powerful. It is when it starts to target things we do not know that we see the catastrophic shifts in society. The example with Volvo provides some insight into how autonomous cars are going to affect things. Notice how it is not exactly a straight forward line. This technology tangents into a completely different industry.
I see much of the same thing happening in the world of blockchain which is why I do not buy into the FUD and fear associated with what took place. The truth is we do not know all the areas of life that will be disrupted by this technology.
Steem is barely in it's third year. We are going to see many changes over the next 3-5 years. There will be applications on here that we are not even considering. While the disruption to social media and finance is obvious, that is most likely not where the greatest power will lie. I tend to believe there will be other industries that are suddenly affected by something on Steem. A crystal ball would come in handy right about now.
The next decade is going to be marked with convergence of many technologies. Some will apply to one or two industries while others transcend most of them. Social media and cryptocurrency are just two uses for blockchain. We are going to see many more.
Ultimately, the success of anything in the blockchain realm is going to come down to providing a better user experience. Success will not result simply from replacing what exists with something decentralized. That is not going to attract the masses. What will is something that they cannot get elsewhere. This is not only true of Steem but the entire Web 3.0 concept.
If we look at the jump from Web 1.0 to 2,0, there was a dramatic shift in what was offered. Yet, 2.0 did not go completely away from the original content. It was still there. Something else was integrated in, i.e. social media which provided dynamic communication. Web 3.0 is going to have to do the same thing.
Anyone who was involved in the Internet in the late 80s and early 90s knows how this works. There are many layers to this race, one that is an extended marathon as opposed to a sprint. I almost have to laugh at people who get upset at some of the things on Steem. Trust me, this is crying of spilled milk. In the long run, it is minor stuff.
There are going to be a ton of trials, tribulations, and yes, failures. I was just telling someone earlier, not all applications are going to make it. Recently, it appears Zappl entered the "no longer around" category. Zappl was zapped I guess.
We honestly have no idea the impact an application or breakthrough is going to have. Who thought of autonomous vehicles cars affecting air travel? Honestly, that is just the tip of the iceberg. We will see shopping, hotels, real estate, and the job market altered due to this technology.
Blockchain is similar. It is going to transcend many different boundaries. A firm commitment to Steem will yield tremendous results because of the fact we do not know where all if this will end up. That is the potential. One application can cross many boundaries and cause massive disruption.
The question is not where we will be in a year or two but, rather, in 6 or 7 years. What will Steem look like by the middle of the next decade?
That is the question everyone should be considering.
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Awesome!
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Very interesting. A lot of disruptive technologies will not only disrupt the industry which they are meant for, but shed new light for new and improved technologies across several sectors. I can only imagine what this place is going to look like in 5-7 years. Let’s just enjoy the evolutionary process
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It is obvious now that looking out 10-15 years is like writing a sci-fi thriller. There will be so much advancement that we are really left guessing.
Talking about unintended consequences. There is a good chance that road traffic will increase quite a bit. It will be all electric, very efficient and much safer but we will need a lot of infrastructure for it.
It will be better over all but land use might increase.
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Unless flying taxis take off (no pun intended).
Then traffic might actually be less.
It is going to be very interesting to see what happens over the next 15 years.
I really don't believe in widespread use of flying taxis - at least not in anything close to what is proposed today.
Autonomous personal transportation pods will disrupt the way we think about travel. Flying taxis is a rather old school concept.
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Cryptocurrencies are just a tool within the blockchain technology as its applications extend much farther than just that. The considerations for blockchain in industries from healthcare to energy are huge given the efficiencies created. If you layer in the potential interaction with AI, things get more interesting as well. Definitely still only in pampers!
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IF Volvo came out with a self driving car, then it would indeed take a bite out of air travel. Even if the cars drove on a special road and you rented the car like you would pay the an airplane ticket.
There are people who would pay just for the opportunity of avoiding the Toilet Safety Administration.
However, the world that we now know won't be here in 10 years.
Taking a flight somewhere will be much harder, much more expensive, and much more not worth it.
Travel will be far less than it is today.
This is one of the problems with technology.
Engineers are shooting at a moving target.
By the time marketing gets involved, they have missed the target.
So, we are talking about blockchain and the internet...
The internet that we know will not be here in 10 years.
And with the change of the internet, the protocols will change, and the way we exchange data will change.
Within the next decade I want to go into the restaurant or supermarket and pay with an upvote from my Steem account. Pay taxes too this way so that there will be no need to convert it to fiat.
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