America
is being forced to change rapidly and embrace a ‘New Normal’
way of life in America - driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate
change, racial and gender bias, coupled with a wide range of new
technologies.
We all find ourselves caught in the midst of a global
pandemic that is impacting everyone on Earth. Millions have
caught COVID-19 and hundreds of thousands are dying from it. For much
of the year we have been self-isolating at home and millions of
people have joined the ranks of the unemployed. Unfortunately, other major crises are coming down the road.
However,
many of today’s knowledge workers who use computers in their jobs
have been able to continue working out of their homes using
telecommunications capabilities. Many student were sent home and are
now attending classes online. For many, shopping online has replaced
driving to stores to buy food and other needed items. The number of
cars on the roads dropped significantly, resulting in extremely low
demand for gasoline resulting in less pollution and fewer automobile
fatalities.
Again, like it or not, we are being forced to change rapidly and embrace a ‘New
Normal’ way of life in America - driven by the COVID-19
pandemic, climate change, racial and gender bias,
coupled with a wide range of new technologies.
Examples of Technological Advances Over the Coming Decades
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The
‘New Normal’ way of life in America is not yet clear. It is still
being defined. However, the following are examples of the ‘New
Normal’ Life Styles and Behavior Changes taking place, often
enabled by the wide range of new technologies all around us.
- Work – More and more workers that don’t need to be at a desk in a corporate office building need to be allowed to work from home. Essential workers that must show up for work in grocery stores, factories, hospitals and in many other jobs need to be paid a better wage and guaranteed safety and healthcare coverage.
- Retail Shopping - Protective masks need to be worn in stores and social distancing practices followed, until such time as vaccines are available and the current COVID-19 pandemic is eradicated. One of the ‘New Normals’ is that more and more shopping will be done online and many stores will be downsizing or will be going out of business.
- Education – More students need to be offered the alternative of going to school online, if the technology and telecommunications networks are in place. Teachers and students who must show up in schools need to be given protective masks, ensure social distancing, other protective measures are taken. Healthcare coverage needs to be made available to those who must travel on buses and go to physical school buildings because they have no alternative. Much of the world’s workers, researchers and students will have free and ‘open access’ to the growing repository of the world’s knowledge.
- Healthcare – The COVID-19 pandemic is helping to refocus and speed up the transition towards the use of Telehealth systems, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Personal Health Records (PHR), Health Information Exchange (HIE) Networks and the commitment to Open Access, Open Science, Preventive Medicine, Regenerative Medicine, Public Health, and data driven solutions. There will be some significant impacts on our current configuration of hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, and the way we practice medicine across the country.
- Entertainment – Packed gatherings in huge stadiums to watch sports events, rock concerts, or political rallies may have run their course. Smaller face-to-face events are probably going to be replaced by televised events and eventually by spectators viewing these events using virtual reality technology. Attendance at movie theaters will continue to decline and visits to museums and other cultural exhibitions will continue to transition to online viewing – see Open Culture web site. However, expect many people to return to bars, nightclubs, and restaurants once the current pandemic passes. It’s just going to happen.
- Religion & Churches – Churches, religious organizations, and their faithful followers have been steadily embracing new technologies and online solutions. The next generation of young believers and church leaders have embraced and adjusted to the use of the Internet, Social Media, and Mobile Technology to create online communities, extend their global outreach, spread their faith, teach, learn… See Summerton ‘Open’ Religious Technology & Tools.
- Transportation Systems – The COVID-19 pandemic has people rethinking travel on crowded airplanes and cruise ships. Growing concerns over global climate change are boosting production and sales of Electronic Vehicles (EV). Other changes to transportation systems include industry investments in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Vehicles and Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAV), High Speed Rail, and other solutions. Telecommuting is also leading to significantly less traffic on the roads. Also, Uber has provided an alternative to car ownership for many people living in cities that will bear watching closely.
- Energy & Environment – Both climate change and the current pandemic are speeding up the declining use of fossil fuels, while investments in alternative solar, wind, and hydro energy solutions are rapidly climbing. Hydrogen fuel cell technology and small modular nuclear reactors are also going to be coming online later this decade, further driving nails into the coffin of the dying fossil fuel industry. Climate change, pollution, rising sea levels and many other related issues depend on us now moving from ‘talk’ to ‘action’.We are well on our way transitioning from a Type 0 to a Type 1 Civilization to a more advanced Type 1 Civilization. Read about the Kardashev Scale
- Government & Society – America is in the midst of debating and pursuing many needed societal and government reforms. Racial justice and gender bias remain hot topics. Gun control, corporate tax reforms, voting suppression issues, universal healthcare, Rebuilding trust, setting Congressional term limits, addressing immigration, and many other topics will challenge us all for many decades to come. Expect a lot of hard fought battles on the streets and in the political arena. It’s the American way – and it all eventually works out. Read about Top Issues Facing America in 2020
US
Demographics by 2050
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