AM I NEXT? DIGITAL DISRUPTION IN 2019

With the consolidation of media companies and the specter of increased regulation of media platforms, it would be wise to examine any business model that revolves around single-point platforms and social media for growth, profitability, and stability.

Beware of the upcoming fractious and contentious 2019-2020 political environment where hyper-politicization and speech policing can see your discovery efforts destroyed by algorithmic keyword filers that designate legitimate product or content descriptions as “hate speech.”

Beware of increased spam with sources outside of the protective barriers of U.S. law. From time- and capacity-wasting robo-calls to spambots, consumers and others will be employing more restrictive criteria that can impact your connectivity and legitimate access to willing customers.

Be aware of the dangers posed by “democratization” where reduced barriers to entry amplify the competition, impede discovery by potential customers, and devalue content. One need only look at what has happened to the music and publishing industries to note how technological advances like auto-tune, mix-mash, cut-and-paste compositing software and the potential for just about anyone with the ability to cut-and-paste content to create a song or book that can be offered and fulfilled on Amazon, the largest freely-available marketplace in the world. This results in the digital pollution of discovery and confuses customers and consumers.

Beware that branding, patents, and copyrights do not offer significant protections without the financial means to legally pursue infringers. And, that an entire generation of rip-off artists can simply add the words “Summary or” in front of a well-known title to capitalize on the author’s name and title recognition as well as siphon off those customers who may not be willing to pay the author’s asking price for the original.

Beware of increasing subscription and continuous upgrade business models that add irrelevant bloatware to provide a difference without a distinction.

Be aware of the increasing tendency towards proprietary extensions to open-source software that use add-ons, features, and extensions to achieve customer lock-ins. Make sure that your cloud data is secure, available, and transferable in some commonly-used format.

Be aware of the need to update your storage media. Storing data on legacy systems that are or will soon be obsolete is trading costly comfort for compatibility with newer technologies.

Be aware of free offers that are little more than lead generation mechanisms for advertisers and are marketing your information without regard or restriction to any advertiser with an ad budget.

Beware that the while the net can expand your horizons, it can also ensnare you in an impenetrable web that can imperil your life, liberty, and assets.

Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?

Am I Next? - Managing the Personal Risk of Digital Disruption

Digital disruption is transforming all aspects of life from how we interact with one another, what we do in our leisure time, and how we go about our workday.

The most severe personal consequences that must be managed are the risks arising from:

• Depersonalization, where everyone is just another avatar or hashtag;
• Instant access, where time and space boundaries in the past are breached through electronic devices that make us electronically available at almost any time or any place.
• Expert systems which are rapidly reducing the value of individual education and experience as artificial intelligence and learning capabilities impacts many procedural processes in our industrial environment.
• The total replacement of personnel by the disruption and elimination of robotic systems.
• Demographics and being part of an aging population with fewer and fewer opportunities.

Since digital disruption comes with significant personal implications, how can one best prepare for a world in transformation?

One, not every country, industry, or company will have the finances,  technology, or inclination to compete with first-world nations that are early adopters of technology.  Thus there is significant opportunity in taking known technology and implementing in environments where such technology is non-existent, or unions are hostile to technological change. A mastery of off-the-shelf technology building blocks, especially those that are available at little or no charge as "open source" projects represents an abundant source of potential individual revenue opportunities.  

Two, while customer-facing systems are becoming more prevalent, not everybody appreciates impersonal customer service, and those individuals who can deal with both man and machine will still be able to offer significant value with customized personalization. 

Three, there will always be a need to individuals to recognize, catalog, and manage the risks inherent with technology . Especially where transactional speed can turn a simple coding error into a multi-million dollar catastrophe with reputational impacts.

Four, one should not overlook the fact that with increasing technology comes increasing government regulations. Where complexity is baked into the system to mislead or muddle rules, regulations, and requirements in favor of professionals such as lawyers, accountants, and consultants.

Five, Luddites, technophobes, and people who just do not want to deal with technology will often pay a premium for expert assistance to set-up, operate, and maintain their systems. Whether in the form of a personal arrangement or more formal consultancy, there will always be people who want to others deal with complexity. 

Six, our aging infrastructure is in dire need of repair, replacement, refreshment, and build-out to provide additional capacity at cost-effective prices. Considering the degree to which we take our infrastructure for granted, individuals often miss the opportunities inherent in infrastructure projects.

In the final analysis, digital-savvy individuals with some degree of comfort and fluency in the language of technology are more likely to survive the coming years than those who accept that today is much like yesterday and tomorrow will be much like today.

There is no excuse for not pursuing advanced education. Given the internet, the instructional videos on social media outlets like YouTube, and the abundance of free courses from prestigious universities like MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and others, only time, motivation, and the capacity to lean stand between an individual and multiple independent sources of revenue which can future-proof your employment opportunities.   

Are you asking yourself, Am I Next?