Here are 29 of the influential events, trends, and markers of the last decade (what would you add?). I only capture this selective list to refresh the memories of those of us who lived through it and don’t realize that some of the things on this list are less than 10 years old. Then I will humbly offer some predictions for the next decade.
2001- US war in Afghanistan/Iraq ongoing
2008- Great Recession
2009-16 Obama
2010 iPhone 4
2010 Tesla IPO
2011 Borders Books closes
2011 First Chromebooks ship
2011 Osama bin Laden killed
2011 Japan Tusnami
2012 Facebook IPO
2013 Pope Francis installed
2013 Boston Marathon bombing
2014 Bill Gates retires from Microsoft
2014 Russia moves into Ukraine
2014 Amazon Alexa release date
2015 Gay Marriage in the US via Supreme Court
2015 Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris
2015 The Force Awakens
2017- Trump
2017 Self-driving car tests spread
2017 Amazon acquires Whole Foods
2017 The Last Jedi
2017 iPhone X
2017 #MeToo
2018 Xi Jinping President of China without term limits
2018 Immigrant caravans from Central America
2019 Hong Kong rebellion
2019 Trump Impeached
2019 The Rise of Skywalker
(So, the Star Wars episodes might not be all that world changing….) Now, I’m going to over-confidently predict a few things about what’s coming:
- Increased automation – jobs will continue to be replaced by computers and robots, including the rise of self-driving automobile fleets and almost entirely unstaffed shopping experiences.
- Autonomous homes – Google, Amazon, and Facebook will compete for control of the home that you don’t have to leave. Work, shopping, and some forms of entertainment will all revolve around the home.
- Big box apocalypse – given the first two, lots of malls and stores will cease to exist. People will leave home for restaurants, shows, the gym, and church.
- Muslim-non-Muslim conflict – ongoing struggles between self-proclaimed Muslim terrorists and the post-enlightenment society will come to a head. Something’s got to give.
- Overpopulation – the world will have to choose an option for for the problem of the expanding population on a planet with limited space and resources. Do we a) populate the moon, b) forcibly limit the birthrate worldwide, c) assume things will take care of themselves?
- Approach of worldwide government – tribalism and nationalism will continue to wane as global enemies like climate change, human trafficking, and poverty will pull humanity towards global consciousness. Scholars and politicians will lean more eagerly into global management systems.
Hopeful optimist or wild conspiracist – add your own! What should we prepare for?