How the world will look like in 2030

Last year I had a course about trendwatching. Based on the trends that I found, I wrote a scenario about how the world will look like in 2030. I didn't exaggerate much, maybe not at all. Cause the truth is, ever since this year, I feel that technology is evolving faster than ever. To predict what will happen in the 15 years, you have to exaggerate and look beyond whats possible. Maybe I am getting to old because I have a hard time following the all quick evolvements.

#LifeWithoutBumps

Scenario :
It is 2030, I live in a small apartment in Freiburg, Germany. I’ve been living in this apartment for a year now and I probably would not have left my parents’ house, if technology did not make living so much easier. The apartment that I live in now, is totally adapted to my living schedule. Every morning I have to wake up at 8 am, when my alarm goes off, my lights will automatically turn on as well as the radio. It is so much nicer to wake up with music. 

Also, every day I look at my phone in the morning, because my phone will tell me what to wear, based on my day schedule and the weather. I do not know how my phone does it exactly, but I know I just have to put in my agenda where I will be that day, it definitely safes me a lot of time. When it is time to leave my apartment, there are only two thing that I always bring along with me, those are my mobile phone and my passport. 


About 2 years ago I had to sell my car because it was too expensive for me to own one. The government has put so much money in public transport, that they raised the taxes on private transport. They said that traffic jams are the bane of motorists’ lives, whether it’s the daily bottleneck during the trip to work, or endless delays on motorways. And the government wants to encourage their citizens to travel by public transport. 

The transportation has evolved and moved into efficiency and more environmental friendly matters. Renewable fuels and alternative ways of using energy are getting more popular. All the cars that are made in 2030 are electric cars, cars on diesel or fuel are very rare and all the petrol pumps has changed into charging stations1. But owning an electric car is very expensive, only rich and higher educated people are investing these the newest ways to get transported. They pay more for easier and faster transport.

Students, young professionals and people that do not own an electric car, like myself, are usually traveling by shuttle vehicles. These vehicles are designed to drive without the need of a driver. And a great thing is, paying is super easy. About ten years ago you had to pay with these transportation cards that only work within one country, but today you can pay with just one device, your mobilephone. 

I use these shuttle busses and shuttle trains quite often to get to work. I just started working in a communication company for an amusement parks that is based in London. It is just a 5 minute walk 
to get to a shuttle bus that brings me to a train. From door to door, it only takes me 1 hour to get there. And with the transportation of 2030, I can be on the other side of the world in less than a half day! Fifteen years ago I could not have imagined to work and live in different countries. The change in transportation has taken away a big gap between cities and even countries. This makes my passion for traveling even more accessible. 

This is why I only need my phone and my passport at all times. My phone tells me how to schedule my life and I can pay with it. All the products we used to use got together in our phones. The Iwatch from Apple was just a tiny step for the technology of nowadays. With rapidly growing technological possibilities it was just a matter of time till people walk around without actual keys and wallets. 

Everything is combined in one device4, paying, identifying, calling, connecting, shopping, transportation cards. When I think about it, it did change my personality a little bit. Before the things got combined in one device I did not really care about my phone that much. I could walk a day outside without my phone and it would be fine. I would not even panic when my phone went out of battery. 

But now, I am so protective about my phone. I never just leave it hang around somewhere and I would think twice about it for someone to touch my phone. And I am so pleased that you can charge your phone everywhere and anytime! Otherwise A lot of people might have trouble with getting home. 

When I get home from work, I like to relax a bit and my well adapted apartment will automatically turn on the ambient lighting at 8 pm. Around this time I will sit in front of television to watch the news. The biggest problems nowadays is the energy crises. It is all over the news every single day! There are a lot of malfunctions with the connectivity nowadays because it is overloaded with network activities, all the phones, transportation, chargers,  charging stations etc..

People are getting frustrated and angry and are starting to riot against landline companies. The other thing that has been in the news for weeks now, is the fact that the digitalisation has brought so many problems within the community that the government is forced to create laws for the digital world. They are struggling and have to be careful, because riots will rise if they put limitations on technology. Citizens will see it as a privacy matter, because there has been no laws on technology and digitalisation for decades.