{"id":224206,"date":"2018-02-09T07:12:47","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T05:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=224206"},"modified":"2018-02-09T07:12:47","modified_gmt":"2018-02-09T05:12:47","slug":"from-prosumerism-to-programming-thinking-how-tech-is-shaping-the-way-we-do-business-in-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/industry-news\/224206\/from-prosumerism-to-programming-thinking-how-tech-is-shaping-the-way-we-do-business-in-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"From Prosumerism to Programming Thinking: How tech is shaping the way we do business in 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the beginning of every year, we are inundated by a barrage of content which loftily predicts the \u201ctrends\u201d for the next 12-month period.<\/p>\n

But what causes a trend to emerge? \u201cTypically driven by a number of factors, a \u2018trend\u2019 is generally the product of an evolving socio-economic landscape, or a response to changing consumer needs,\u201d says Alan Goldberg, Director at Apple Premium Reseller Digicape<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In terms of trends within the tech industry it\u2019s a little trickier, admits Goldberg \u201cas technological advancements move forward at the speed of light.\u201d The birth of a \u2018trend\u2019 could simply be the inevitable outcome of a shift to accommodate or leverage these developments \u2013 rather than the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

One example is Instagram, which is commonly accepted as the catalyst behind the emergence of the \u2018selfie generation.\u2019 These perfectly presented images that litter our feeds have given rise to new makeup trends and even an increase in certain cosmetic procedures. \u201cThus you could argue that the technology (Instagram) gave birth to the trend (selfies), which in turn sparked the invention of new technology, such as the selfie stick and beautifying apps, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n

In either instance \u2013 whether it\u2019s tech that drives business innovation or whether broader macro factors catalyze technological innovation – \u201cwe can all admit that its rapid advancement has drastically impacted the way we do business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goldberg lists a few examples of how technology continues to drive or facilitate a business paradigm shift in 2018.<\/p>\n

The rise of Prosumerism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cTechnology has become accessible, which has given rise to the \u2018prosumer\u2019 \u2013 a person who produces media, explains Goldberg. \u201cWe see more and more young people embarking on entrepreneurial endeavours as content creators, bloggers or videographers, rather than seeking employment in traditional fields.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technology of yesteryear was less advanced than it is today, but the usability was a lot more complex. Today\u2019s technology is extremely sophisticated and produces \u2018professional\u2019 media, but is also highly intuitive and user-friendly; think of the iPad Pro, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cMillennials \u2013 inherent early adopters \u2013 find it easy to navigate new tech, and are taking ownership of upskilling themselves and acquiring new and transferable skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

A more mobile workforce<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The emphasis on work-life balance will continue to grow, with employees prioritising quality of life over paycheck. \u201cCompanies attuned to employees\u2019 needs will seek ways to evaluate individuals based on their output rather than hours on the clock and as a result, will re-envision organisational structures to better accommodate a more flexible working environment,\u201d says Goldberg.<\/p>\n

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), where employees take personally-owned devices to their place of work and use them to access company resources, facilitates increased mobility. And Cloud based solutions, which allow businesses to access software over the internet without additional investment in software and hardware, is another facilitator for flexibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cApples devices such as Mac and iPad, renowned for their stringent security features, will become increasingly popular among companies embracing this movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Programming thinking<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You may have heard the term \u2018design thinking\u2019, but you probably haven\u2019t heard of \u2018programming thinking.\u2019 \u2018Programming thinking\u2019 refers to a mindset shift, rather than specific programming capability. \u201cDevelopers code complex programmes through breaking the task down into manageable chunks, and solving pieces at a time, says Goldberg. \u201cIt is a solutions-driven approach; reframing the way we think and tackle challenging tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certain schools are starting to incorporate programming thinking into all aspects of the curricula \u2013 and while it\u2019s still early days, \u201cwe will start to see a generation enter the workplace which is equipped to solve complex business problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Systems integration: the 2018 buzzword(s)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Organisations are slowly doing away with the \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019 approach to their systems. \u2018Systems integration\u2019 replaces \u2018big data\u2019 as the annoying buzzword for 2018, and refers to the use of multiple systems in a single workplace, seamlessly integrated to work in harmony. \u201cWhile it sounds too good to be true, it\u2019s fast becoming the norm internationally,\u201d says Goldberg.<\/p>\n

Gone are the days of corporates operating exclusively in Windows or iOS. Companies are offering employees their choice of device (Mac or Windows PC), and working with operating system-neutral software.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s key to find a service provider with the necessary expertise and experience to integrate these operating systems effectively,\u201d says Goldberg. Digicape, for example, offers technical support to corporates of all sizes, ensuring seamless multi-system integration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the beginning of every year, we are inundated by a barrage of content which loftily predicts the \u201ctrends\u201d for the next 12-month period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":224214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[10690,26],"class_list":["post-224206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-digicape","tag-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224206"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224212,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224206\/revisions\/224212"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}