SCENARIO FOUR
It’s all about me
We’ve sleepwalked into a world where we’ve stopped asking questions – the overwhelm of social media and 24/7 news has meant we no longer have the skills to separate fact from fiction and we’ve allowed our public services to be taken over by a system where profit means more than people.
In an era where businesses become monopolies and are almost too big to fail, the wealth gap becomes unbridgeable with the top ten businesses having greater wealth than 90% of all companies. In fact, governments and business are so hand-in-hand that lines are blurred as to who governs.
This, coupled with a global political landscape of financial instability, politicians in the pockets of big tech and small-scale but globally impactful civil wars, means we are in a time where people are disenfranchised.
Despite this feeling that governments are run by ‘tech bros’, we’ve found ourselves trusting tech more than other figures of authority – your local GP is seen as less informed than Dr Google.
This collective ennui in the world has left tech in charge – and we’re coming along for the ride. We’re keen to be seen to keep up with those around us and everyone wants the latest models – be they smart watches and interactive washing machines or a self-driving car. No one wants to be left behind.
The high street finally collapses, as shoppers wanting what they want – and wanting it now – turn to online and big box shops to get their retail fixes. And while it may seem as though the gig economy is thriving, drone delivery has, in fact, taken most of these jobs away. Lives are lived in full online – in-person social interactions are increasingly scarce as people work from home and socialise online. The increased cost of living has caused popular gathering places such as pubs and restaurants to fail.
We’re becoming more and more sedentary but there are no societal norms around exercise anymore and vitamins and supplements have become so advanced that our health is actually similar to the previous decade.
Essie, age 40 in 2035
I wouldn’t go as far as ‘happy’ but I’m content in this world. I lived through Covid19 and, after, I was always anxious when out with strangers. The shift to living most of my life online is comforting to me.
Sure, I get a bit lonely, but I can video-chat with my friends and family and, if they’re not online, I’ve got a lovely world I’ve created on AI.
I like that we seem to have collectively decided not to be afraid of technology – I’m not a huge fan of tech implants but I do wear a smartwatch that allows me and my insurance company to monitor my health. This helps me ensure the activity I’m undertaking maintains a healthy level, and lets me know how I’m doing. It’s become a little competitive – seeing who’s most healthy in my social groups, for example.
I’ve never worried about my data – everyone shares everything online so why would anyone come looking at me? I work as a social media manager and I would say I’m a pretty open book; I do unboxings for my clients on social media and they’re really popular so I’ve started exploring this further but it’s difficult to keep up with the younger generation.
I’m not sure what I’ll do when I get old – there’s a rise in social care homes, where you can live with people you know when you get older as no one’s really having kids anymore. It feels a bit sad that I’ll live out my last years pretty alone but I still think that might be easier than the way it was for my mum, which meant she was looking after me as a kid, and her elderly parents too.
Jo Drane, Project Director and Sustainability Lead, Hoare Lea
It’s a nice challenge to re-consider the approach to residential accommodation, making use of unoccupied office and retail buildings in city centres and designing in opportunities for those who are elderly or alone to come together in social care establishments. The move to online life has the potential for a positive impact on biodiversity; as people could be leading more sedentary and home-based lives, they drive less and own fewer pets.
This results in native wildlife thriving and reclaiming migration routes and nesting areas. City-centre rewilding could make way for food production areas. Additionally, the requirement for power and access to data 24/7 means that renewable energy and battery storage is commonplace across all homes.
Vinnie, 33 in 2050
I have three implants – one monitors my movement, one scans my internal health and one allows me to connect to devices just by blinking. I have no issue with this – all of our generation has done this and it’s completely normal. Why would I want to have any privacy over my health data? Anything that allows me to connect to tech more easily is great.
I’d say I spend 90% of my waking life online. Unlike most in my generation, I do actually like traditional food alongside some of the usual lab-grown fare so if I’ve been able to find anything fresh, I like to watch old YouTube cooking videos and follow along. It is becoming a little easier to find fresh food, and you know it’s been created to keep us healthy.
I spend most of my downtime creating video and animated content for my social channels. They’re very much about what I do each day and my followers are quite engaged. I’d never talk about politics or events outside of my control on there; it’d lose me followers and brand deals. In fact, I don’t know much about that aspect of the world. As far as I understand it, politics – as it was in the early 2000s – is very different now. There are fewer nation states and most countries are led by technology and innovation. It is accessible to all and I think that’s a good thing. I also don’t see much about stuff I’m not interested in – why would I waste time listening to a news cast when I can just chat to my friends about what we know?
The most exciting thing for me is the development of space. I really hope I’m able to get on a space flight at some point, just to see what Earth looks like from out there, and meet people who might be able to help grow my channel.
We do keep experiencing small cyber attacks but that’s a tiny part of the population who think that how we live now is bad. What do they know?
Ryan Elliott, Head of Digital Advisory, Hoare Lea
In this future where social interactions mostly happen online, there is a risk of people feeling very isolated. Technology adoption and trust is high, presenting a good opportunity for it to be integrated into the built environment and help to connect people, encourage face-to-face connection and give people a more rich and valuable experience than the ones they have online.
Technology connects people across the world as social media and other technologies create communities in the digital realm. When implemented properly in the built environment, digital tools and platforms can help permeate physical barriers to create shared-interest communities, facilitate collaborative spaces and support innovation.
They have connected people in care homes, with hands-free technologies helping them keep in touch with their families, and sensors on fridges and taps to monitor eating and drinking. But this comes with a warning: product managers working in technology teams should consider the broader implications of their recommendations to get the right balance of technological progress with real benefits for people.
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