Technology is giving us the freedom and creativity to permanently revolutionise our way of life across the board.
That means that the way we think about communication, space, value and time is going through an integral change. Now it’s creating an internet-wide ripple effect and it’s filtering into the business world.
Communication
Connecting with other people throughout the world has never been cheaper or easier.
A call, a lecture or a pitch is now a click away and no longer drains your purse. Mass communication is bringing down previous barriers, naturally creating digital hives of creation, discussion and reflection.
People are being pushed together to form continuous global debates, meaning productivity is questioned, business priorities are overturned and power is being transferred.
Space
The world is now our digital oyster and technology, especially social media, has created unlimited space for us to connect.
Each person has formed two complete spaces, one in the real world and one in the digital. The power of information technology is a direct product of the digital world and, for the first time, our thoughts, dreams and desires can be tracked and analysed.
The ability to communicate across the world is also creating a plateaued global community, and this is being channelled into the business world. Previously dog-eat-dog, hierarchical businesses are slowly being phased out and replaced with more moral, open and social businesses.
Our changing view of space is also affecting the way working environments are now being designed. Closed office structures are being replaced with open spaces, comfortable seating and co-working tables. We are subconsciously creating work environments that fit our new view on interpersonal space.
Value and Time
Time is money is a phrase that will soon be viewed as old fashioned. Time is becoming a measure of quality, experience and wellbeing, and money is also no longer the only currency. Our shifting conception of value and time is a direct reflection of how people are viewing the world and each other. We want to find worth in what we do and money is no longer the main driving force.
Many businesses are reacting to this shift by remodelling practical working aspects. Companies are now letting people work according to projects and not fixed hours, introducing flexy time, working at home as well as hot-desking. In some cases, entire countries have even reduced the maximum working hours per day to improve overall productivity, quality of work and health of their employees.
Work and social life is also starting to bleed into one. We no longer want to cut our life into two halves or let work take over our private lives. We want to find a healthy balance. Forward-thinking business groups, like Digital Nomads, have created environments where they now have the power to seek their own balance. Companies are also acutely aware of the change and brands are now marketing themselves as more personal, moral and fair.
What will happen next?
We are in the eye of the technological storm and it’s impossible to know what the world will look like once it’s passed. What is clear though is that our need to connect with others will continue to drive technological advances, meaning business must evolve how we create and produce on a global level.
Sara is a freelance writer based in Manchester. She owns the commercial and creative content company Fraiche Ink, focusing on thought pieces and marketing content.
