Centralized Decentralization - A Twitter Thread

I wrote this twitter thread a while ago just at the start of the pandemic. Since my Twitter is used primarily for following individuals and not as much for sharing content, I figured sharing on my blog, despite almost a year later, would be a cool way to start the process of reconnecting with those who followed and enjoyed the earlier content.

This blog was titled 'Into the Land of the Curious' 4 years ago, when I embarked on a one-year trip to Lappeenranta Finland. I have had numerous experiences since then, both professionally and personally, which has led me to adopt a new mantra that captures the latest societal and technological norms.

I call it "Centralized Decentralization."

The content below is a series of tweets describing why I believe that, due to #covid2019, life will change in a profound way, in which the latest technological developments will blend with fundamental activities dating back to your grandparents' time. Here's the breakdown of systemic shifts which I think will be accelerated:

1/ #Food - with the closure of dine-in food establishments, we'll see a trend towards delivery. This will cause the rise and adoption of food and grocery delivery, with decentralized distribution centers (ex. @farmsteadapp) and virtual kitchens becoming more mainstream.

2/ #Healthcare - the virus has exposed our physical capacity problems. There will be a trend towards telemedicine for general visits/mental health and in-home emergency medical visits where the hospital comes to you. Vitals will be tracked via wearable technology apps.

3/ #Fitness - with team sports and gyms shut down, the gym will come to your home via fitness videos and specialty equipment such as the #Peleton bike. Non-contact e- Sports on VR and motion-based gaming systems like the Wi/Kinect will also look to capitalize.

4/ #Transportation - the decline of public transportation. We'll see the battle for autonomous private transportation, which will be considered more hygienic and efficient for the masses.

5/ #Finance - no more going to the bank. All banking will be moving towards mobile. Physical cash will be a thing of the past. Bank accounts will become crypto wallets, gold will become bitcoin, and ether-like coins will dominate application-based transactions.

6/ #Shopping - window shopping will become a real thing in the future, with consumers seeing what they want from a window, and placing an order for delivery directly to their homes.

7/ #Politics - federal governments across the globe will weaken as states and local governments take a more impactful role in shaping policy and decision-making. Voting will happen through a decentralized application, with security and trust provided by the blockchain.

8/ #Gaming - the concept of distributed gaming systems will shift to the cloud, as games will be played on the cloud via offerings like @GoogleStadia. Gaming consoles will become a thing in the past. (4/10/21 edit: I think true gamers will continue to use their own servers/equipment for a more powerful gaming experience)

9/ #FutureofWork - office space and travel will be used sparingly, with the adoption of remote working tools like @zoom_us and @SlackHQ, along with @WeWork spaces. We will also see a rise in new ways of collaborating virtually, with offerings by companies like @ImmersedVR.

10/ #Living - the concept of the 12-month lease will be gone. We will be renting our homes on a more granular day-to-day and square footage basis. Ownership of space will be managed via a blockchain.

11/ #Education - remote learning. We will see the rise of virtual institutions such as #lamdaschool challenging the merits of university education.

That's it for now - my goal is to have a blog post-deep-diving into each one of these posts. 

Stay tuned!