The Future of Technology | London Tech Week 2019 Special

Were cars invented before roads? Was the FCA invented before gold coins? Copy before copyright? 🤔

In a recent interview for LMF Tech, our Founder & Director, Stephanie Melodia, was asked for her opinion on “the next big thing” in the world of technology:

In a little game of Rorschach (or, the “ink blot” psychological test) I could immediately feel the pressure to answer “AI”, “robotics”, “blockchain”, or any other buzzword that wasn’t in our everyday vernacular a mere year or two ago.

Instead, I brushed off these hyped-up terms and thought about what my real answer would be - as sensible or as boring as that may be.

And folks, sensible and boring the answer sure is:

I believe the next big thing in technology is - wait for it…

Regulation. 

Yes, I know; GDPR experts, privacy commissioners and boards of regulators did not in fact feature in Blade Runner or Back to the Future, but hey, we still don’t have flying cars yet either so let’s not get hasty. 

As dull as it sounds, the fact of the matter is that we have not experienced such a huge shift in the way we express ourselves and communicate with each other since the invention of the press over 500 years ago. 

It seemed as though, with very little warning or foresight, the world’s biggest media giants today exploded overnight and created populations of addicted, selfie-obsessed, hashtagged zombies. Of course a lot of good has come of the digital revolution, but good is only one side of a double-sided coin (sorry to be the realist, again). 

The issue we face is that the lucky and enterprising* geeks we see regularly in the news have had a field day; I compare them to being the first to invent cars before roads, speed limits or the highway code existed. And who wouldn’t go wild with this? The open road, the wind in your hair, a little MySpace bump or a bit of AskJeeves** roadside flotsam - hit the gas baby! 🙌🏽

Ok, let’s get back on track (no pun intended 😅). I do, of course, have to acknowledge there are extremely exciting areas of growth within the tech business landscape (particularly in London, I must append 👆🏼). Here at Bloom, we are already seeing such exciting innovations in areas of social good, such as impact investing, eco-friendly mobility solutions, and sustainability in fashion - a beautiful reflection on society’s shifts in mindsets and a confirmation of the millennial’s “woke-ness” as a generation. 🌎

I am excited to watch these businesses flourish and maybe next year I won’t have such a boring answer for you. 😉

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Do you agree? Disagree? Have more to add on the subject? Please make use of modern technology and drop your comment below! 👇

*Lucky and enterprising - I definitely believe success needs a heavy dose of both these ingredients, one alone is not enough.

**LOL