As we all know, 2021 was an unprecedented year that will impact society for many years and even decades. In 2022, life finally appears to be getting back to normal, but the pandemic changed the world in more ways than one. Technology is just one industry that has drastically evolved over the last few decades, with more advancements in our time than any generation before us. In 2022, we can expect the technology trends that began in 2021 and before to continue while new trends begin to emerge. Here are the top technology trends of 2022.
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Work From Home
Work from home became a popular phenomenon last year that will have a lasting impact on all industries. Many businesses realized their employees were happier and more productive working at their home offices, and some employers realized it’s not necessary to force workers to work in an office at all. As remote work continues to become the norm, the concept of working from home will become working from anywhere. After all, if you can work from home, you can probably work anywhere else as long as you have the same equipment with you.
Mission-Focused
As more consumers become passionate about protecting the planet and urge businesses to become more sustainable in both products and practices, technology can help forge a more sustainable future. More sustainable materials, such as recycled plastics and bamboo, will aid in sustainable product development, enabling businesses to respond to the needs of their customers.
The rise of sustainable material use will contribute to the minimization of chemicals in the manufacturing process, making manufacturers and businesses more carbon neutral.
Health
The use of telehealth has unsurprisingly increased in the past year. Telehealth can help improve the healthcare industry by increasing efficiency and patient satisfaction. Patients and healthcare providers are now more willing and less hesitant to use telehealth, allowing the healthcare and technology landscape to continue to digitally move forward.
Health tech is also becoming more popular every year, with wearables and increased connectivity becoming the norm in everyday life. Not only that, but the use of technology in healthcare can help keep healthcare more affordable with predictive models allowing for proactive recommendations through wearables for better health outcomes.
Patients adopting new technology allows healthcare providers to use AI to make their approach to medicine personalized and provide better overall outcomes. Virtual care can also benefit inpatient hospitals and home-based care to provide better accessibility for patients in terms of monitoring vitals, improving compliance, and education. Healthcare workers can benefit from more efficiency and better evaluation and communication tools.
Entertainment
You can already play video games with others in real-time, but we expect to see more interactive movies where you can choose your own experience and be a part of the story. Not only that, but more immersive content will be available on a smaller screen as wearable displays extend the already popular mobile phone experience.
Smart Homes
Smart homes devices, such as connected light bulbs and thermostats, are in almost every modern home. Unfortunately, it can take consumers a little bit of shopping around and research to figure out if something will work with the tech they already use at home, but that might not be true forever.
Big tech names, such as Apple, Amazon, and Google, are developing a new smart-home standard that aims to ensure that smart home gadgets you buy will all be able to work together. The standard is currently called Matter, which will eventually allow your Google Home to work well with Alexa products.
Electric Vehicles & Electrification
Electric vehicles are already becoming more mainstream than they were just a few months ago. In 2022, electric vehicles will become standard, especially for those who live in areas where the infrastructure is already in place to support more EV drivers.
EV models from automakers such as Ford, GM, and Volkswagen will continue to push forward to make electric vehicles more accessible at lower prices.
Of course, electric vehicles are just the beginning. As more people see the value of electric vehicles, they may also start to become curious about home electrification, which involves energy storage solutions and solar panels. The electrification ecosystem consists of having an EV charger to charge your EV, which is connected to a battery wall that stores energy from the grid or solar panels to create an independent energy system, also known as a microgrid. These microgrids can ensure your power never goes out and eases the burn on the current electric grid.
Chip Shortage
The chip shortage is not news, but a prolonged shortage impacts how quickly automakers can put new vehicles on the market. It has also influenced the price of televisions and made electronics difficult to find and purchase. The effects of the shortage are expected to continue into this year and possibly beyond.
Many electronics companies, such as Samsung, have announced plans to build chip plants in the U.S. to help protect themselves.
Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology is typically associated with cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and Dogecoin. However, blockchain technology extends far beyond crypto and can provide security in other ways. Essentially, blockchain technology uses data and allows you to add to that data, which cannot be changed. In simplest terms, it’s a data chain.
Because the previous chains cannot be changed, the data is secure. Additionally, not one entity can take control of the data chain because blockchains are driven by consensus.
Many industries already utilize blockchain technology, including automobiles and artificial intelligence. Even the government has expressed interest in using blockchain to store public records because it’s secure.
Data Sharing
New technologies make it easier than ever to share data between and across organizations while keeping that data safe, secure, and private. Data sharing allows people to use sensitive data and leverage volumes of data that they couldn’t access before. Sharing secured data with others can improve overall business performance. For example, researchers can share data about diseases on shared platforms to accelerate treatment development.
Matt Casadona
Matt Casadona has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. Matt is passionate about marketing and business strategy and enjoys San Diego life, traveling, and music.
