4 Tech Trends that Will Continue to Grow

Technology is constantly evolving. And whether it’s due to current events out of our control or intensive efforts by the world’s leading scientists, every year brings innovation and invention that we could not have predicted the year before. Even though 2020 has been an extremely unpredictable year, technological innovation hasn’t stopped. Here are four tech trends that will only continue to grow in coming years.

Telework

Even though many industries have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, video-conferencing technology companies have experienced major growth. In fact, many experts speculate that even after the coronavirus is eradicated in the US, American work culture will be irreparably changed by its effects.

Teleworking is going to become increasingly common, and some companies may even make permanent transitions to digital work. With workplace communication software like Slack taking over workplaces and technologies like Zoom proving to successfully connect entire companies working from home, it seems that remote work is going to become a much more permanent part of working life no matter the industry.

These companies have announced that employees will not have to return to the physical office until late 2021:

1. Google
2. Amazon
3. Uber

Additionally, Twitter and Facebook announced that employees don’t ever have to come back into the office. With these giants accepting telework with open arms, it’s most likely that smaller businesses will soon follow suit.

5G

You may have heard more about the scandals surrounding 5G rather than the actual technology itself. But despite the conspiracies that 5G towers cause coronavirus (they don’t), the 5G age is surely coming.

China is currently at the forefront of the 5G race, so much so that countries like the US and the UK have become suspicious of Chinese telecommunications giants like Huawei over fears that China will use 5G for surveillance purposes.

But what is 5G exactly? Here’s a brief explainer:

1. 5G is the next generation of mobile network connectivity after the 4G and 4G LTE of the last few years.
2. It is designed to have more connectivity than ever before, linking people with not only their smartphones, but also their smart devices and machines of the future.
3. Like 4G, 5G is delivered through the air. But it is supposedly going to be much more reliable, fast, and flexible, allowing for much more bandwidth.

This means that by the time 5G is ready for consumer use, we will be able to consume much more data on our smartphones, as well as connect to more devices than before.

Targeted Advertising

If you haven’t already noticed, customized ads are the marketing strategy of the current age. No matter if you’re looking for the perfect summer nail polish, or a packet of condom, or an used car or an all-natural, organic CBD tincture, your search history is going to inform the products that are recommended to you online.

You can’t log into Instagram, search a product on Google, or (seemingly) talk about your consumption habits without a targeted ad appearing within minutes on your screen for the exact product you had in mind. Now, especially with 5G connectivity, targeted ads are, for better or for worse, going to become more aggressive and more personalized than ever before.

Furthermore, shopping and social media are only going to become more and more integrated. You can already buy products directly from both Instagram posts and stories. Perhaps e-commerce is going to extend onto other aspects of social media, too (buying directly from a live stream, anyone?).

Artificial Intelligence

Even though artificial intelligence systems can be found in most devices today, it’s likely that AI innovation is going to branch out and touch even more areas of our lives.

Artificial intelligence is a broad term for machine intelligence, or computers learning and performing complex behaviors that were once thought to be uniquely human. For example, AI is responsible for your Amazon Alexa being able to recognize your voice, or for Google to recommend shopping products based on your previous purchases. Here are some arenas you can expect AI to innovate upon in the near future:

1. Shopping – Yup, AI is going to be what makes those targeted ads even more targeted!
2. Driving – Self-driving features in cars are already able to change lanes and detect incoming objects. AI is going to usher in the eventual age of completely self-driven cars.
3. Cybersecurity – AI can be used to detect credit card fraud and possible cybersecurity breaches. In the coming years, artificial intelligence will make it more difficult to hack into important databases, bank accounts, or IP addresses by establishing more complicated anti-fraud systems.

Entering an Increasingly Digital Age

Technology has made exponential bounds in the last five years. And while 2020’s technology trends have been undoubtedly influenced by the global coronavirus emergency, it’s clear that the tech industry is capable of adapting to anything that comes its way. Make sure to keep an eye out for these four tech trends. Now that you’re equipped with this knowledge, you’ll be on top of all the newest tech waves as they come.