Twenty years ago, few would have imagined the world as it is today: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, Messenger, Whatsapp, Google, Netflix, streaming and auction platforms, the growth of the internet and e-commerce, bots, smart electronic devices, electric cars, parcel machines overthrowing the seemingly unassailable position of the traditional post office, the popularity of esports, etc. etc. etc. Today these things are something we take for granted. Especially for the younger generation, who came into this world in the era of these “inventions”, and for whom life without them simply does not exist. The beginning of the year is usually a time for taking stock and predicting what lies ahead. I, however, would like to look a little further ahead. We can see how much our reality has changed in the last twenty years in terms of technology (e.g. online casinos and casino site review), so it begs the question – what will it be like in twenty years’ time?
Metaversum, the technology of the future
That the internet, and all the business associated with it, will continue to evolve seems obvious. But in two decades’ time, we will certainly be entering the era of the metaverse – as currently promoted by the owner of Facebook. Virtual reality will become as natural to the next generation as using a smartphone is to the current one. We will meet up with friends, relax and have fun virtually, play sports…and even have sex. Will this be accompanied by similar feelings to the traditional, physical experience of these things as they currently exist in shape and form? It is reasonable to assume that the gigantic development of technology is capable of providing this. Will this affect our psyche, and how? What kind of people (in an emotional sense) will we be? How will our way of communicating change?
These questions are currently difficult to answer. One thing is certain. Virtual reality is already strongly present in our lives today. It is used, for example, in therapy for people who have lost loved ones and are experiencing enormous psychological discomfort as a result. The ability to ‘recreate’ deceased people, their behaviour, habits, manner of speech, makes it possible, so to speak, to bring them back to life in the consciousness of those undergoing such therapy.
Why does Mark Zuckerberg want to invest so heavily in metaversum? (He plans to invest nearly $10 billion in this technology in 2022 alone). The motives will not be fully known. There may be many, but when you don’t know what’s at stake, it’s all about money. After all, it is estimated that in the next 10 years the metaverse market will be worth at least several trillion dollars. Gigantic money will be made from virtual shops and services, but also from hardware and software. And we as a society may start to function – literally and figuratively – in a kind of matrix.
The world will be very different in 20 years’ time
In 2042, no one will be surprised by driverless cars or other modes of transport. Unmanned and cashless shops are already emerging. This is a solution pioneered by Amazon and successfully implemented on the Polish market by Żabka. Consumer electronics will look completely different. Will traditional multi-inch smart TVs disappear? Probably yes. Will bots and AI replace human services? Probably yes. Will traditional currencies and payment methods be replaced by something completely different? Naturally! Will the labour market then change? Certainly yes! Most of the current professions will disappear and new ones will appear. Which ones? It is difficult to predict. Current trends are broadly IT, robotics, automation, cyber security,…but in 20 years it will be very different.
Will we be working then? I can imagine a conversation between two young people in the year 2042, where one of them says to the other:
– Do you feel that twenty years ago people had to work until the age of 65?
Maybe in 20-30 years, every citizen will live at the expense of the state (which will be able to afford it), without having to work. Those who want to will work. This is somewhat similar to what has happened to military service in most countries over the last few years. So-called sharing life and the sharing economy will probably come into strong use. The right of ownership will cease to have a raison d’être for most citizens. The right to access, use and share will dominate. Almost everything.
And what will it really be like? Probably everyone would like to know.
