Lessons Learned from 2017 Bring Big Opportunities for 2018

2017 was a year full of progression and awareness. It was also the year that the exceeded expectations of creative advancement and unprecedented innovation. It evoked curiosity and wonder as dreams suddenly became possibilities and the whole world seems interested to see what 2018 has in store.

In this article, we count down the top 5 predictions for what 2018 will bring from the lessons we learned in 2017:

# 5. Too Much to Watch, Not Enough Time

After disagreements about profits Disney will leave the Netflix platform, signing a $1.58B deal with BamTech in efforts to keep their hard-earned profits to themselves. The Netflix-Disney feud of 2017 means the two will separate, leaving many worried about how they will choose between the two. It’s expected that the competition will drive the two entertainment giants to engage in a full out content war as they fight for their spot as the top provider. Snow White and the 7 Mad Men anyone?

#4. Out-of-this-world HoneyMOONS?

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner. Courtesy of spacenews.com.

Space Tourism will start to become a reality! NASA’s first space tourism trials are set to take off this year. First, a test-run of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner blasts off in November 2018. Designed to minimize air friction while maintaining speed requirements, the Space Adventures craft will launch two astronauts into orbit testing out flight paths and comfort levels of what would be the world’s first taxi service into space. In December, SpaceX’s Dragon Shuttle similarly takes flight. Offering sight-seeing tours of the moon with a solid focus on public safety and affordability, this smooth ride could be the solution for those sea-sick honeymooners cruising around the Caribbean.

#3. Privacy Defined.

2017 exposed a more mysterious side of the internet in a big way. Trust was compromised as major organizations spied on unsuspecting audiences. Speculations arose of Facebook’s fine print allowing them access to track our activity, microphones in our laptops telling Google which ads to show us, and underground websites exposing major political faux pas. Measures that were originally set out to protect the public turned into a collection ground and marketplace of personal data which left us questioning “how far is too far?”  While the debate surrounding net neutrality is far from over, 2018 could be the year where lines are drawn and boundaries are set.

#2. All Aboard the IoT. Next Stop “Google-ville.”

Picture This: As you step out of your self-driving Tesla Model S, Amazon’s Alexa quickly states that it is negative eight degrees, and snowing. Peering out onto an autonomous water front, you see diverse combinations of the 2017 modernizations work together. Walking past taxi-bots and self-delivering pizza cars, an upcoming intersection detects you. Traffics lights instruct all vehicles to stop so you can cross.
Welcome to Canada’s first Smart City! This year Google’s little sister, “Sidewalk Labs,” will be hard at work developing this technological wonder. With an initial investment of $50M in late 2017, this 3.3 million square foot residential, office and commercial space will transform Toronto’s waterfront into a hi-tech haven.

Photo courtesy of i-scoop.eu

#1. Augmented Reality
In 2017, the impossible became possible through Virtual Reality. Unimaginable events (such as flying a plane, riding a unicorn, or playing soccer alongside Renaldo) became commonplace activities using consoles and simulators equipped with VR technologies.  In 2018, it’s all about Augmented Reality. As VR meets real-time experience, virtual enhancements to everyday occasions will transform the world as we know it. Virtual pop-up stores, holographic celebrities promoting products, and sunglasses that translate any store sign into English are just a few things that could be worth watching for.

 

As a year of inspiration and learning, 2017 presented the tools and knowledge to lay the foundations of the future – a future where technology meets reality and expectations are exceeded.  2018 will be that future.