Featured article by Rick DelGado, Independent Technology Author
The past year was a unique period of technological growth and advancement. Technology impacts the lives of people in new ways, thanks to the internet, politics, and other market forces. Understanding what happened in 2017 and what that means for the year coming will be the key for making upcoming plans.
Here is our technological year of 2017 in a nutshell:
Bitcoin
Bitcoin is an alt-currency that allows it users to transfer funds digitally without a bank or intermediary. There is a small transaction fee for each transfer, but it is otherwise free to hold Bitcoin (excluding, of course, the price of the Bitcoin itself). Because of this, many people have signed for “wallets.” These wallets are digital addresses similar to a bank account that hold your Bitcoin for you.
However, recent events have put negative and positive pressure on Bitcoin. Firstly, Bitcoin exchanges were hacked, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars of people’s’ personal assets. This decreased trust in the currency.
One the other hand, big banks like JP Morgan Chase have invested in their own versions of the currency, making investments rise in the cryptocurrency markets in general. As a result, the overall value has risen dramatically this year. Bitcoin has experienced massive and explosive growth this year.
The value went from around $1,000 per Bitcoin to over $17,000. However, there are still issues with scaling, as each time someone wants to buy or sell Bitcoin they must pay a transaction fee that is only getting more expensive. Time will tell what the solution will be, but either way these digital money systems promise to become an integral part of the future.
Apple iPhone X
Apple is one of the most beloved brands in the world. When they launch a new product, people clamor to get early access. They stand in lines in the cold just to get their hands on a new iPad or iPhone the night it comes out.
This trend continued with the iPhone X. Its release was highly anticipated. Among the new features were new photo filters, better audio, and a large screen with beautiful pixel display capabilities. It showed that Apple could still compete at the top, even though Tim Cook has replaced the late Steve Jobs as the CEO of the behemoth tech company in recent years.
Russian Ads on Facebook
It was discovered that over 3,000 ads on Facebook were linked to Russian-owned accounts. Some of the accounts were supporting Donald Trump in the election while others were vouching for Hillary Clinton. The U.S. government swept in to reprimand Facebook for allowing this information to spread, causing the tech company to shut down certain accounts and block links to certain sources of information.
The public’s trust in mass media is incredibly low at the moment. This seemed to be another step in that direction, meaning more people will likely rely on social media and unfiltered sources to avoid the biases on other sites.
Uber
Uber had a strange year in terms of workplace environment this year. Sexual harassment is no joke, and the company took steps to clean up their protocol to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Equifax Hack
Equifax holds people’s’ private information including their loans, debts, and social security numbers. So when the company was hacked, it caused mass chaos. Identity thieves had a field day with this information, causing credit cards to be reissued at an alarming rate.
CRM Expansion
It used to be that there was only one CRM in town for companies who wanted a great way to organize their sales system. But with many Salesforce competitors on the market now, the business world is experiencing more choice and better prices than ever before.
Technology is the driving force that affects everyone’s life in today’s world. The year 2017 has been particularly innovative and has ushered in massive change. Whether it is through politics, social media, or marketing, technology is bringing new opportunities and also new challenges. Review the key highlights above and evaluate how you are going to use 2017 as a teacher of how to move forward in the coming year.
by Rick DelGado, Independent Author
“I’ve been blessed to have a successful career and have recently taken a step back to pursue my passion of writing. I’ve started doing freelance writing and I love to write about new technologies and how it can help us and our planet.” – Rick DelGado
