What if you could see the future of your business for the next 33 years on a single page? And what if that single page was a map, like the London Underground, with interconnecting journeys towards what’s coming, and what we’re going to leave behind?

Any self-respecting challenger is looking to get an edge on the competition by knowing what’s ahead. On 18th July, eatbigfish presented an exclusive talk with respected futurist and author Richard Watson who presented his latest work, a map of Mega Trends & Technologies from 2017-2050.

In a fascinating presentation, Richard explained how the map was developed as a visual representation of his research. The central area of the map plots the trends and shifts emerging in the present, and as we move along the individual lines (which plot developments in broader areas such as society, media, technology) the predictions become more speculative. Which is the bigger trend, globalization or localization? Where is AI going? Will we all start to prefer the company of robots to humans? Are we at peak self?

Richard closed by fielding suggestions from the group about how the map could be used by brands and businesses to model what technological or societal shifts may affect them in the future, both positively and negatively; and how we can create our own maps to embrace the myriad of opportunities that the future may hold.

SPEAKERS

Richard Watson, Futurist, Lecturer & Author, What's Next?
Adam Morgan, Co-Founder & Partner, eatbigfish

Key take outs:

• The map is not intended as a set path to follow.
  Not all trend predictions come true, so no predictions should be slavishly followed as fact. The map should be used to spark debate and conversation and has been created to be challenged and questioned.

• At lot of the map is happening now at the edges – but it could move into the mainstream.
  Just because it exists in Silicon Valley, doesn’t mean you can buy synthetic meat in a Tescos in Woking – but you soon might.  Are we, as challengers, progressing our category far enough?

• We are all feeling more anxious.
  Richard summed up the general feeling of the moment as “OMG” or even “WTF”, and it does seem that the world is currently at a heightened state of both flux and peril. The perception of too much change over too short a period of time can create a feeling of instability at an individual and institutional level, and it is this perception that heightens our feelings of anxiousness. But is it justified? Or is it a result of the ‘information pandemic’ we find ourselves at the mercy of?

• There's never been a better time to be alive than now.
  It’s easy to focus on the negative, but as Richard put it, for most people, life has never been better. “We have doubled lifespans in little to no time, human longevity has increased substantially. We're curing deceases, reduced infant mortality, illiteracy rates, lack of access to water and sanitation. These are major achievements that we just somehow don't think about; we just think the world's getting worse.” 

• The future is created by what we decide to do today and tomorrow.
  While much of the map could be perceived as negative, the overwhelming takeout from the evening was a positive one; that the future is not a fixed destination and we can shape the journey.  As Richard concluded, “Why don't we spend more time discussing what we want to happen in the future and how we might get there, rather than worrying about what might happen and how we might react?”

MEGA TRENDS & TECHNOLOGIES MAP

Download the map here.

CONTACTS

Helen Redstone, Head of Production, eatbigfish, [email protected]