In 2030, there will be 1.26 billion more people on the planet than now. The number of cell phone contracts will be up by 3.3 billion, and an additional 2.3 billion people will be using the internet. Have you ever asked yourself this exciting question: How can the digital possibilities help us transform our lives for the better?
In our youth magazine, reif,we regularly write about all kinds of interesting and unusual aspects concerning the digital future, such as these:
How about #collaborative-living?
#sharingEconomy in the digitally interconnected community with the help of smart classification systems on the web. We share bikes, cars, living space, and work space as well as items of everyday use. Vision of the future? In Seoul, this has been a reality since 2012. The South Korean metropolis is not called the "Sharing City" for nothing. Here, you can hire suits from the “OpenCloset," hold events in public buildings, or use an exchange to cashlessly trade services.
#SmartCitys, which are fully connected and share all resources as wisely and thriftily as possible. This vision of the future is about to become real, for instance in Vienna. The smart aspern Seestadt is taking shape in Vienna's 22nd district. With decentralized energy systems based on renewable sources and modern storage technologies. With connected building technology and smart power grids. And with a state-of-the-art data analysis system, which points automatically to any areas in need of improvement.
How about digital democracy – #digitalerDemokratie?
Have you ever heard of e-petition, e-democracy, or e-participation? In 2015, a total of 13,137 e-petitions were submitted to the German Parliament's Committee on Petitions. To start an e-petition, you can use the portal www.change.org. To start your own crowd-funding campaign, go to the platform www.startnext.com. Or are you keen to support social projects, but not sure where to start and what to choose? Take a look at www.kartevonmorgen.org. This interactive map of the world puts socially engaged people in touch with the right social projects in their area.
What will our #FutureWork look like?
More and more jobs will be done by robots in the foreseeable future: build cars, milk cows, explore the moon, care for the elderly, clean windows, play the violin, defuse bombs. Perform surgery, harvest apples, conduct counselling, or prepare sushi. So what jobs will be left for us to do? 65 percent of all school children will end up doing jobs that don't even exist right now, like the
- Virtual Habitat Designer – who develops the virtual worlds
- Ethical Technology Advocate – who resolves legal and ethical issues: What should machines be allowed to do?
- Digital Cultural Commentator – who is able to visualize complex correlations with simple pictures.
- Freelance Biohacker – who researches genetic material to promote medical progress.
- IoT Data Creative – who brings order into the chaos of data in the Internet of Things
And now it's your turn. What are your ideas for #collaborative-living, #digitalerDemokratie, or #FutureWork? We are keen to hear all about your ideas and visions of the future – which may not be as far from reality as you may think.
We look forward to your comments.
