As the year starts pushing towards the end, naturally we start thinking about what goals we are planning to set up for ourselves in the upcoming New Year. Now, being the Future Females (and gents) that we are – instinctively networking, self-investment and growth are at the top of our list. It’s time to start investing in yourself and your ability to engage with the new and exciting things that are happening around us. Seeking those opportunities out and making those connections that could potentially develop into something great for our current business or even ignite prospective business opportunities.
The Catch-22, though, is that we aren’t all experts in the same field. In fact, our fields are all vastly different. Varying from fashion & jewellery design to marketing, IT, economics and even hospitality, physiotherapy & psychology. But knowing this, there should be a level of excitement ignited within you and a willingness to want to engage, take part and create great opportunities activated from our differences.
When it comes to seeking out these opportunities, however, it means taking part in these conversations and when you find yourself smack-bang in the middle of a conversation, the topic of which could sound something like; Bitcoin vs. Etherium. AI vs. Machine learning, paid vs. organic growth. Instead of silently backing out of the conversation because perhaps you feel ill-equipped to deal, we here at Future Females thought we would prep you on how to survive tech talk in 2018.
First thing, don’t panic!
As intimidating as much of this conversation might sound, it is much more practical and much more integrated into your everyday life than you think. Approach the conversation with some technical know how and base-line knowledge and then relate it back to your everyday working and home life. You never know, applying these conversations to your everyday routine may actually ignite some real opportunity and problem solving.
So here is the tech talk we think you may have to know a little bit about in 2018:
Top quality content surge for brands.
In light of the previous Future Females event, we know that Influencer Marketing has already started to make waves in 2017.
In 2018, expect this to become a real game-changer. With its viral nature and expansive ability for brands to reach very specific audiences, it is safe to say that this trend is here to stay in 2018. What we may see more of though is content creation spanning far beyond great Instagram and Facebook posts. Many of these influencers have already bridged across to having incredibly popular YouTube channels.
With Drones and 360-degree cameras becoming more readily available, GoPro’s and high range Canon cameras being the new Instagram influencer starter kit – start to expect seeing top quality content being made far cheaper than most advertising agencies would charge. Big brands like Audi, Tiffany & Co. and even Amazon are shifting large portions of their advertising budget to dedicated social influencer programs.
How to use this to your advantage:
The great thing about influencer marketing and what makes it so incredibly attractive for many brands is the niche audience you will be able to reach. No matter the topic of the conversation your brand may associate with, there is without a doubt someone who has taken this topic and made it their sole focus – and gained followers too. Seek these influencers out, get in touch and start engaging with this audience.
AI vs. Machine learning – because aren’t they exactly the same thing?
If you’re going to get stuck in the middle of tech talk in 2018, it’s highly likely AI and machine learning are going to pop up in that conversation somewhere, and If you want to make any sort of impression or at least know what is going on, perhaps it’s good to know the difference between the two.
Here’s a quick explanation:
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a slightly broader concept to machine learning. It’s the notion that we could expect machines to carry out tasks in a “smart” way, as we would or far better.
Machine learning is more of an application of AI. This veers more towards the notion that we can give a machine a data set and they would be able to learn and develop on their own. Somewhat simple, right?
We’re not saying you have to become an expert in AI or machine learning, but keep these on your radar and lookout for the new developments because, at the rate at which these are developing, it is likely that within a few short years these technologies are going to be playing main roles in your life.
So here’s where you can expect to see these technologies playing major roles in 2018:
The healthcare sector:
Quite literally a life or death industry, the application of these technologies means more accuracy, fewer risks, faster diagnosis and greater chances for prevention. Human error is looking to be completely eliminated within this industry and the prediction is that AI and machine learning will bring us closer to that.
The financial sector:
Now to be honest, I don’t know much about the ins and out of the financial industry – it all seems like a bit of a gamble to me. But, it’s this very gable that AI & machine learning may be able to eliminate. Fewer risk and more accuracy is what it boils down to.
The rise of robots:
Yes, the robots are here and likely to stay. The purpose of robotics is to simply make our lives easier – so expect it to start showing up in unexpected places. Naturally, there is a concern that robots will take over our daily job titles– but don’t worry yet; there will always need to be an operator. However, if you are in the IT industry, it wouldn’t hurt to start learning about robotization.
To Bitcoin or not to bitcoin?
Now if you don’t know much about the blockchain and cryptocurrencies – don’t stress, neither did I. It’s been much like vegan and plant-based diets for cryptocurrencies. They’ve been around for ages, but somehow this year everyone is onboard!
As more and more hype is being placed on cryptocurrencies, more innovation is being applied to make this seemingly intimidating world more accessible and less scary for the average Joe to get involved in. As the benefits of using blockchain and cryptocurrencies are becoming further understood by more industries you can expect the debate of whether to invest or not to continue into 2018. One thing you should know before jumping into investing into cryptocurrencies – it is still extremely volatile, so be sure to do your research before investing your hard-earned cash. In my opinion though and based on the conversations with more formidable sources than myself, make sure you don’t invest any money you aren’t willing to lose.
So if tech talk has never really been your thing and taking part in these conversations is a tad intimidating, hopefully just gaining a little base-line knowledge and keeping your radar up – will ease you into it. The rate at which the tech industry is developing makes it outrageously difficult to keep up, but like I said – it is far more integrated into your life than you think.
And if this is still a bit of an intimidating conversation to walk into, don’t worry! I think based on the forecast that vegan eating and plant-based diets are set to be 2018’s megatrend, it may be more likely you’ll be chatting about plant-based recipes and the newly trending smoothie bars, in this case, opportunity is knocking!