Changing Times

[Gerard Zwaan]

How can one determine that the transformation into a more Service-to-Other world is occurring? [and from another] https://www.bizarro.com/cartoons [and from another] Journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2023 January 10, 2023 https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/journalism-media-and-tec... First-generation social networks like Facebook and Twitter are struggling to retain audiences as older people get bored and younger users migrate to new networks like TikTok. [and from another] Top Three Banking Trends for 2022
July 8, 2022 https://www.htg-architects.com/blog/financial/top-three-banking-trends The pandemic changed the way we viewed the world in many industries — and in finance, it accelerated emerging trends. Even before COVID-19, technology improvements were already impacting in-person banking, and baby boomers were already demanding more attention to retirement and wealth management services. [and from another] The 3 Trends Shaping the Political Organization of the Future February 15, 2021 https://innovationinpolitics.eu/polis-project/blog/the-political-or... By focusing on single events and issues, we fail to see the underlying trends which have a long-term and lasting effect on our societies and on the political sphere. People organise in networks and aim to be connected with one another. People organise in networks and aim to be connected with one another.  Hierarchical structures are breaking down, knowledge and creative work are becoming more important, and the boundaries between private and professional life are getting blurred. We have immediate access to an ever-increasing amount of information whilst traditional models of education are falling behind. For example, open innovation efforts in political parties, the development of new offers for learning and development in politics as well as global learning platforms for government. [and from another] The World has Become much More Democratic over the Last Two Centuries https://ourworldindata.org/democracy Many more countries have become democracies over the last two hundred years. The chart shows — based on data from Regimes of the World (RoW) — that a much larger share of countries are now democracies. In the late 18th century, no country could be meaningfully characterized as a democracy. RoW classifies almost all of them as closed autocracies, in which citizens do not have the right to choose their political leaders through elections. [and from another] The History of Social Media https://www.future-marketing.co.uk/the-history-of-social-media/ Facebook started its history when it was first launched in Harvard in 2004. It quickly spread to other schools and by 2008; it had become the most famous social media platform and it still continues to grow rapidly. It allows its users to post content and personalize their profiles. [and from another] Visa and Visa Foundation Aim to Close Funding Gap for Africa’s Female Entrepreneurs March 2, 2023 https://www.pymnts.com/financial-inclusion-3/2023/visa-aims-to-clos... Visa Foundation says it wants to help Africa’s underfunded female-led startups take off. Visa Foundation announced Thursday (March 2) that it would give $1 million from its $200 million Equitable Access Initiative to help women-owned small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Sub-Saharan Africa grow.

Transformative change often goes unnoticed. Sudden change highlights the before and after situation but gradual change does not draw notice. Historical data shows that democracies are on the increase, especially in Africa.  But the fact that political organizations are more diverse and accessible is not easily measured. The technology to support Social Media networks was available but virtually unused prior to the past two decades. What changed? The demand for interaction and communication had increased. When society demands that injustices be corrected, business follows. Thus women founding businesses in Africa and moving into power positions in the West is on the increase, a quiet drumbeat that was absent in the past.

Source: ZetaTalk Chat Q&A for May 31, 2023