Roaring 20s Round 2
The original “roaring 20s” refers to the 1920s when in America (and western culture more broadly), experienced tremendous prosperity.
A few highlights from that era to give you perspective:
Woman could finally vote
A robust credit system was pioneered to support economic growth
American consumers had money to spend on things like clothes and the movies
Radios, refrigerators and cars were invented and mass produced
Jazz music emerged creating a unified culture around the arts
The 2020s are already roaring in some incredible ways and it’s important we start to think about what this next decade will look like after it’s over.
With the first female vice president in U.S. history, I think we’ll continue to see an increase in woman represented for the highest positions of power including major corporations and politics. This will improve all aspects of our society.
Green technology is poised to be ready for prime time. The technology is here and we have an administration that will support it. Electric cars, renewable energies, and a broader business direction toward sustainability will become the new age economy. Sustainability won’t only be better for earth, but better business. An interesting contrast to the 1920s of simply mass production with no thought to sustainability.
The U.S. dollar will continue to be devalued with all of the printing by the federal reserve. Cryptocurrencies that are based on mathematical equations as opposed to human control will continue to become more mainstream as they demonstrate their effectiveness. Bitcoin may break Gold’s market cap and could also become the world’s global reserve currency as a true store of value compared to the US dollar which faces inflationary pressures.
Revolutions in artificial intelligence (AI) will permeate every aspects of our lives. While Alexa and Siri are demonstrations of first generation AI products, they don’t even scratch the surface. We’ll see things like autonomous driving, applications for advanced robotics and maybe even AI in politics. We already see AI in our banks and medical procedures.
I also believe this is more broadly biotech’s century and we’ll see tremendous advancements in diagnostics, telehealth and therapeutics. With the ability to diagnose diseases becoming easier, we’ll be able to deliver treatments well in advance. Coupled with our ability to understand the human genome and modify it, our ability to control our own biology will lead to a massive rise in life expectancy and quality of life.
The technological advancements of this decade will be substantial. How we implement them to our growing population that is becoming more inequitable will need to be addressed.
Just like the 1920s, the 2020s bring remarkable opportunity to push our society forward at an accelerated rate. While I’m anxious to see how this decade shapes out, I’m excited to be apart of helping to shape it.
