What Are The Megatrends Shaping the New 2020s Decade? (Part 3)

DISRUPTION IS A SIGNAL FROM THE FUTURE that it IS TIME  TO CHANGE 

The Coronavirus is circulating around us and changing the world at large. The virus is leaving fingerprints and scars all over it, but the long-term consequences of COVID-19 remain to be seen. Among this fear, anxiety and inevitable uncertainty, megatrends are still gathering pace. At this juncture of panic and pandemic, we need to stop and look into the future, beyond the near horizon. Even if for just a few minutes while you turn off the 24/7 news cycle. 

Yes, short-term thinking and a focus on our safety, business survival and health is only natural at this point in time, and something we must do in the face of COVID-19. But a couple of times throughout the day, we need to stop for a second (or an hour), take a deep breath and focus on something that goes way beyond viruses, toilet paper, hand sanitisers, pandemics and panics. There is a day beyond tomorrow. We must occasionally shift our focus and look into the far horizon future at the post-COVID-19 world and the shifts that will still be happening and will continue to be a part of moulding this new 2020s decade. 

As the share markets are taking a bear beating around the world, long term thinking and STEEP Trend Analysis about investments is critical (talk to your financial advisor about personalised advice). 

In an interview I did with the investment magazine LuckBox, I share my foresights about these megatrends that are likely to impact a world beyond the current volatility. You can download the article below. 

While we give ourselves a minute to looking beyond tomorrow and a post-COVID-19 world, as mentioned in the interview, here is an executive summary of the megatrend I believe will potentially play the biggest part in shaping the new 2020s decade: 

• The Mirrorworld - the Emergent 3rd-Tech Platform 
  This world is a parallel digital universe of all physical things. It is a world where every object has a twin, filled with information that is ready to be manipulated and simulated. An exponential, immersive version of the Internet of Things, with profound links to new mixed or augmented reality technologies - a place where it will be possible to simulate and solve humankind’s biggest challenges. This can be everything from climate change, superbugs, food security, trans-humanism, healthcare and social justice challenges. This might feel a bit "science fiction-y" and far horizon future, but the fact is, it is not. The Future is already here. One of Renault’s truck factories in Lyon, France is already experimenting with an innovative quality control process using Microsoft’s HoloLens to redefine how motor controls are being executed. A 3D projection of the digital twin arrives right in front of the truck’s physical motor, visually directing workers on which sections need servicing directly. Imagine a world where we can tinker with and solve virtual problems, with a direct impact on the physical world. Imagine if this technology had existed for digital twins of humans and the healthcare benefits this may have had as we scrambled to put forward a response to COVID-19. Imagine a world where human intelligence is constantly amplified by artificial intelligence in the Mirrorworld. Through a collaboration between the 'real' and the virtual, we can create more humane outcomes and avoid inhumane consequences such as the ones we are seeing around the world. 

By creating a Mirrorworld, we can help humanity make smarter decisions in the future - to help us predict and discover changes and problems before they even happen. A world that might even in the future help us detect problems such as COVID-19 before things get chaotic. In this world, we are all becoming Cyborgs as we start increasingly converging with biotech and gazing into parallel worlds.

At Amway's 60th Anniversary I had the opportunity to talk about just this on our way from Rome to Barcelona - and how partnering up with these technologies and beneficent machines can help you achieve the most significant performance improvements - how you can effectively augment your human intelligence with artificial intelligence in the emergent Mirrorworld.  

The best way to predict the future is to prepare for it, and covid-19 has urged all of us to take action, and let go off complacency, ignorance, and scepticism. Let us ensure we also upgrade our thinking to exponential thinking to ensure we sow the right seeds for a future beyond tomorrow. 

Learn more about how to plan for the short- and long term issues we are facing. Take part in my COVID-19 Scenario planning Webinar on the 24th of march at 10 am AEDT.

Together we will decode what is going on, how to make necessary changes, and how to survive and thrive during, and beyond, this time of unprecedented uncertainty. 

During a time of pandemics and panic, it is a time for us to pause and come together (at least virtually) - for this viral disruption as well as the beyond tomorrow trends that will systemically re-shape the Beyond Tomorrowland.