5 Reasons Why Writers Should Feel Good About the Future

Writers should feel good about the future. It’s hard to keep a positive outlook when the media feeds us fear and negativity. Good news doesn’t sell, but there’s a lot to be excited about especially when it comes to technology innovations.

Here are 5 reasons you should feel good about the future.

1. Today’s children are going to change the world.

Whitney Houston sang, “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.” I’m optimistic about today’s children, despite our divisive political environment.

Babies are playing with tablets and smartphones. Kids are learning to code at young ages.

Millennials ushered in the sharing economy and drove consumer demand for companies like Uber and Airbnb. Should that trend continue, future generations will want fewer houses and cars, and instead, seek travel and meaningful experiences.

They will be hungry for good content. Books by talented writers will help them navigate their course in life, or transport them to an imaginary world. A popular genre now, may fizzle, then become popular again in 10 years as kids grow up and rediscover it. Vampire fiction seems to cycle in and out every decade or so, just ask Anne Rice.

2. Another three billion people will get smartphones by 2020.

Today, roughly 2.6 billion people have smartphones globally. That’s over a third of the world’s population.

What’s crazy is that by 2020, experts predict there will be 6.1 billion smartphones in circulation. The growth is led by a massive uptake in developing countries.

Often, I hear authors/entrepreneurs say, “I’m too late to market.” No way! The data shows that there will be more readers and consumers of content. Start building your digital assets now and gain a foothold, so that you can take advantage of the coming wave.

3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change the way we interact.

Get ready for robots

Machines are learning to read and interpret human emotion better than ever. What does that mean for us? Imagine a blind person could wear computer-aided glasses that recognize faces and interpret a person’s mood by observing body tone. What a life-changing difference that could be for so many people.

Let’s take it further and imagine the possibilities. What if AI could be added to e-reader devices so that an author could receive data about how the emotions of readers change while reading their book? An author could learn which passages cause a spike in emotion or fear, or which scenes are boring.

I’m excited about the rise of AI personal assistants. Google Assistant allows us to find help and automate online research. Amazon Echo was the top selling new technology device in the 2016 holiday season. Expect Apple to step up with similar products.

4. There is more amazing television content created every day.

Television viewing has changed significantly in the last few years due to streaming technology. We’re no longer dependent on a few major broadcast channels. Companies like Amazon, Netflix, and HBO are creating content, and it’s excellent.

Game of Thrones and Westworld both compete with large-scale movie productions in quality. The creators of the breakout hit show Stranger Things were rejected many times by traditional producers until Netflix decided to take a chance.

The good news for writers is there is a continued demand for quality content. Streaming content allows for a wide variety of genres that go narrow into a sub-niche. There’s no more need to appeal to a mainstream audience.

5. Augmented reality is going to drive experience-driven content.

Who could have predicted the phenomenal success of Pokemon Go where players take part in an augmented reality using their smartphones. Apple and other retailers are looking at this new technology.

Writers and entrepreneurs have an opportunity. Consider how you could weave together reality with your fictional world. Or, imagine delivering a training course where you assigned points for completing assignments in the real world.

The possibilities to engage with your audience are limitless.

What else are you excited about when you think of the future? Add your comment below.

Sources:
https://www.statista.com/topics/840/smartphones/
https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/02/6-1b-smartphone-users-globally-by-2020-overtaking-basic-fixed-phone-subscriptions/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarwantsingh/2016/12/05/top-17-trends-for-2017/#39ec4c5f60e7