Issue 39: Best of the Decade
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week we’re looking back on the decade that was in technology – Joseph Dana, Senior Editor
THE BIG TAKE
Best of the Decade
The decade is coming to a close and it sure has been a wild one in technology. The smartphone debuted in 2007 but came into its own as the dominant cultural and technological force this decade. Its promise of global connectivity was especially evident in emerging markets. Millions more people are now connected to the global economy all because of the proliferation of cheap smartphones and better internet infrastructure.
Just like last week, the following is a list of innovations that defined the last decade and will continue to shape how we live, work, and communicate. We can’t wait to continue exploring these developments together on Backstory and at Xische Reports in the next decade and beyond.
1. Blockchain goes mainstream
Thinking about the last decade of blockchain, the oft-quoted Ernest Hemingway passage from the author’s seminal work The Sun Also Rises comes to mind. Speaking about a fortune lost, the novel’s protagonist says he lost everything “gradually and then suddenly”. The rise of Blockchain technology can certainly be described as gradual and then sudden this decade.
2. AI in daily life
How can we talk about tech in the 2010s without a mention of artificial intelligence (AI)? The decade marks the moment when AI went mainstream. From voice-activated assistants (more on that below) to algorithms that determine what we should stream next, AI is now baked into the fabric of the internet. At the same time, governments around the world are seriously considering how to incorporate AI into governance.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.’
Steve Jobs
3. Super applications take over
When you combine a boom in smartphone usage and advanced AI-powered algorithms, you get the rise of super apps. The growth of Chinese super apps such as WeChat is one of the most important developments of the decade. Earlier this year, we wrote about how the super app model is moving to the West. The question facing us in the next decade will be how to regulate these behemoth applications.
4. Electric cars everywhere
Back at the start of the decade, electric cars seemed impractical. But what a difference a decade makes. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Elon Musk and Tesla, the electric car is now commonplace. Manufacturers around the world are making electric versions of popular models and charging stations are increasingly commonplace. The next step will be autonomous vehicles and we wouldn’t be surprised if we were writing about how they became commonplace at the close of the next decade in 2030.
5. Computer voices
Do you notice a trend in technology this decade? Most of the major innovations are connected to the smartphone. This is true for the next item on our list: voice-activated assistants. From Siri to Alexa, these AI-powered assistants are getting smarter and better integrated into our lives.
6. Anything, anytime
With more time spent on the internet, this decade saw the “uberfication” of just about everything. That is, on-demand delivery for everything from ride-hailing to fresh groceries can be done with ease from our smartphones. This is a particularly important issue for us in the UAE since Careem, the Middle Eastern ride-hailing service based in Dubai, was sold to Uber in one of the largest tech acquisitions in the region.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
Voracious reading: As many are catching up on some reading this holiday season, we spotted a curious story about a man who reads 1,000 articles per day. He’s a former journalist who turned his attention to reading just about everything he could per day on the internet. It’s not all for nothing. He collects his favorite pieces and shares them in a newsletter. The pressing question is just how much material he actually retains from reading all these articles.
AI in the classroom: We’ve been charting the intersection of technology and education for months. So we tend to get excited when a story breaks about how AI is being used creatively in the classroom. The New York Times published a fascinating piece about AI taking over repetitive tasks like grading, optimising coursework, and helping with preparation for graduation exams. That’s great news for teachers and students.