1️⃣ ‘Numero Uno’ (Or First) Article: Why I Decided to Start Writing

The world is changing, and changing fast. I know you probably would have heard this a couple of times before, on the news, or on a podcast, or even through word-of-mouth from someone, but I can’t help but ponder to myself daily, in what ways though? How would it affect our lifestyle, our relationships, our behaviors and attitudes, our perspectives and mentality, or even whether or not such changes would enhance our goal in living and striving towards a more fulfilled and meaningful life, in the years ahead.

Could we be headed towards a more dystopian or utopian future?

Truth is, nobody knows. After all, Thomas More’s “One Person’s Utopia is Another’s Dystopia” is a testament to that ambiguity. It’s a subjective thought, one that is borne to human’s emotions and past experiences.

Anyhow, I’m here to offer my two cents worth on some of the prevalent issues and trends I personally anticipate to see unfold in real time and in due course, while exploring their potential implications across the broader spectrum of things. I like to base my reasoning on facts, data and ‘sound judgement’, while recognizing the significance of being open-minded, and not neglecting pragmatism when evaluating things.

I like to call myself a ‘contrarian’ thinker (if that’s a term), well….sometimes (or mostly) for the right reasons, and um sometimes for the wrong reasons. We may agree to disagree on certain ideologies, but hey, after all that’s what I find most remarkable about the human race. Differing perspectives, which is what makes each of us as individuals unique in a certain manner, and the value we provide. I just like to ‘challenge’ myself against the herd, always thinking that there’s a better and a more efficient way of doing things out there. However, in my opinion, there’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, and that’s just how the world works.

More importantly, I just want to provide to my dear audience reading this, some food for thought regarding some of the structural changes and reform that we are about to experience in our lifetimes. Yes. Within our lifetimes. Well, get excited.

It has become apparent that Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Decentralization, a Generational Mindset shift and Political Socialization remain as some of the main drivers behind this new paradigm.

Here are just some of the emerging technologies I believe that are at play here:

• Automation
• Artificial Intelligence (Machine/Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing)
• Neurotechnology
• Blockchain Technology (Decentralized Applications, Smart Contracts)
• 5G (The Internet of Things)
• Virtual & Augmented Reality
• Web 3.0 (Data Storage and Privacy)
• Quantum Computing
• Electric Vehicles and Shared Autonomous Vehicles
• Green Technology (ESG)
• AgTech (Digital Agriculture)
• Integrated Circuits (Semiconductors)
• 3D Printing
• Robotics (Drones)
• Space Tech
• Biometrics
• Medical Technology and Biotechnology (Genomics)

I could continue down the list, but you get the gist of it. Technology advances at an exponential rate and it’s not stopping. Could the human race possibly experience something like The Technology Singularity? Beats me.

But it’s evident that various industries will eventually be disrupted and replaced as a result. In fact, some of these technologies are already eating some of the incumbent’s lunch. Nom Nom Nom.

Here are what I believe to be some of some of the significant coming shift in trends:

1. The End of Jobs? (Not 100% yet but a imminent shift to entrepreneurship, freelancing, self employment….) Anyone keen on partaking in the “9–5” rat race? Not me. (Though ironically, I’m from the Year of the Rat) I could realistically see jobs not becoming the norm in the future as a source of income due to the deflationary forces of technology. The human race will create, while labor can technically be automated away gradually.
2. Is it Better To Be a Jack Of All Trades, Master of None than Master of One in today’s society? Could someone with expertise and specialized in a particular field experience competition against AI in the future, who could execute the task more proficiently than they can? Imagine developing cross functional skills, eg: studying a finance and software engineering or computer science double degree in university, attain marketing internships during your time and writing blogs that exposes you to the concept of digital marketing (SEO) and which showcases your editorial skills. Imagine if you could write code and develop a product/service yourself, understand the financial accounting side of things, execute basic marketing strategies, write and edit blogs yourself, maybe even handle the HR side of things yourself, and heck even understand the basic legal aspect of things. The possibilities are endless, but could it be something we’re seeing more of in the future?
3. Could we see the emergent of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) as future governance models instead of traditionally structured hierarchical organizations we perceive today as corporate companies?
4. The changing of the guard. (Yes, I’m referring to you Mr Traditional Financial System). This is one industry I believe that can be massively disrupted. Banks WILL eventually have some of their market share taken from them by disruptive tech. *FinTech and DeFi have entered the chat.
5. The Growing Information Economy. Compared to the past, we now have access to a plethora of information made available online, thanks to the Internet. (Web 2.0 and social media). Increased accessibility to the ‘openness’ and ‘freeness’ of information flow.
6. The Fight Against Censorship. The abundance of information can sometimes be a double-edged sword, which has led to various forms of informational bias and media censorship/bias. People have now looked to Web 3.0 as a possible solution towards the fight for free-speech.
7. The War on Data privacy & Data Monetization. With data, comes power. With great power, comes great responsibility. It’s no surprise that tech giants or large conglomerates (& even governments), have access to vast amounts of data, and have often wrestled with the best solution to keeping it in safe hands. Also, would it be possible that we could monetize our data as a user, for contributing value towards networks or databases. Say an incentive perhaps…or a way in which our data accrues constant cashflow every time it’s being used for assisting the platform to generate revenue. (Eg LinkedIn & Facebook using the Network Effect)
8. The Education System. “Get a degree, study hard, score good grades. Get a good job. Prosper.” Sounds familiar? Oh wait, I forgot to throw in a couple more lines into that sentence, that might be relevant for today’s university and college grads “Don’t forget to network and connect with others. While you’re at it, why not gain some work experience by taking up a couple of internships, or join those students’ clubs/societies to boost your resume. Even better, go on an exchange, gain some skills, participate in case studies, create that e-commerce business you always wanted to, become a peer tutor/mentor…..” Long story short, there are MORE people equipped with a degree these days in comparison with the past. Purely graduating with a degree with decent results, without any additional curriculum activities or relevant work experiences isn’t going to cut it in today’s society. Simply put, the barriers for a fresh grad when entering the ‘workforce’ has risen drastically. While we’re on the topic of degrees, let’s rack up a student loan to attain a degree that involves studying online courses that can be found at a cheaper price online. Shall we? Or wait, do we really actually require degrees today?
9. The tokenization of things. Could we really see the advent of the tokenization of ‘everything’, mainly assets? Imo, this is one trend that is about to take off and remain prevalent in society. Imagine, tokenized stocks and real estate. Seems legit.
10. Welcome to the Metaverse, where you get to enter a virtual world, meet and interact with others, and have fun! The notion of digital ownership and NFTs I suspect will prevail in the long run as more and more people began to attribute recognition to the concept of digital status signalling.
11. Rising Wealth gap and Income Disparity. This no doubt, has been an ongoing issue for quite some time now. It will be interesting to explore the potential solutions to mitigate or ‘rectify’ such issues, should they continue to persist down the road. Point is, the wealthy usually denominate their net worth in assets, which tend to appreciate over time due to fiscal and monetary policies implemented alongside ‘economic growth’.
12. Declining Fertility Rates? Are young couples delaying to start a family? Maybe it’s career first, or wanting to have an established lifestyle first? Could this be due to the way we conform to meeting current societal and economic needs to sustain this world? Also, are Marriages Declining & Singles Rising? Big questions to consider.
13. Political and Civil Unrest alongside Increasing Distrust in Governments. These are two of the biggest issues I often ponder over, especially during trying times such as the COVID-19 pandemic ,where dissatisfaction is largely evident among the general public.

Of course, there are many other major trends and happenings out there in this world, that I seek to explore throughout this newsletter, things that I really feel are worth writing about, and something that yearns for a two-sided discussion.

P.S: I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as the passion I had developed when starting this. And finally, thanks for coming along with me on this journey in exploring the unknown, and in discovering where future opportunities lie.

Let’s get it, my fellow thinkers.