How tech is shaping the way businesses trend

At the beginning of every year, we are bombarded with content which proudly forecasts the ‘trends’ that are set to take over the remainder of the year.

Some forecasts are accurate while others are not so accurate, but what causes a trend to emerge?

Alan Goldberg, director at Apple Premium Reseller Digicape, said a trend is typically driven by a number of factors and is generally the product of an evolving socio-economic landscape or a response to changing consumer needs.

In terms of trends within the tech industry, it’s a little complex, admitted Goldberg. “As technological advancements move forward at the speed of light. The occurrence of a trend could merely be the unavoidable outcome of a need to keep up with these developments – rather than the other way around.”

Goldberg gives the example of Instagram, which is commonly recognised as the catalyst behind the emergence of the ‘selfie generation’. These perfectly presented images that litter our feeds have given rise to new makeup trends and even an increase in certain cosmetic procedures.

“Thus you could argue that the technology [Instagram] gave birth to the [selfie] trend, which in turn sparked the invention of new technology such as the selfie stick and beautifying apps,” said Goldberg.

In either instance, whether it’s tech that drives business innovation or whether broader macro factors catalyse technological innovation, Goldberg said it is agreed that its rapid advancement has drastically impacted the way business is done

With this in mind, Goldberg provides a few examples of how technology continues to drive or facilitate a business paradigm shift in 2018 …

The rise of prosumerism

With more access to technology, individuals are prone to producing their own media and embarking on entrepreneurial endeavours that are not necessarily deemed ‘traditional’ career paths.

A more mobile workforce

Technology has introduced the convenience and possibility of working remotely – this trend is largely affecting day-to-day operations as more companies embrace this way of working.

Programming thinking

Technology has allowed for a different way of thinking which is starting to be embraced by schools and adapted into curriculums

Systems integration

Systems integration replaces ‘big data’ in 2018, and refers to the use of multiple systems in a single workplace, seamlessly integrated to work in harmony, which might sound too good to be true but is, in fact, achievable

Talk to us by emailing our group editor, Daniella Potter, at daniellap@caxton.co.za