Disappearing Futures

Posted: May 5th, 2020

Disappearing Futures
Unit VI Essay
Read the article by Wagner titled “Top 10 Disappearing Futures” located in the ABI/Inform database of the CSU Online
Library. Choose one of the disappearing futures and write a paper at least two pages in length discussing it. Discuss the
importance of the future you chose and how it relates to technology trends. Find at least one additional article in the CSU
Online Library related to your disappearing future.
Your paper must use APA style guidelines and include a title, abstract, and reference page. Be sure to list all sources in
the reference page and use in-text citations where appropriate. The title, abstract, and reference pages are not included in
the required minimum page length.
Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric – Buy ‎Custom College Essays Online: Pay for essay online for this assignment is provided below.

Abstract
This paper discusses papers and where they go as one of the top 10 disappearing futures in Wagner’s article. The aim is to relate the disappearing future to the trends in technology and highlight the significance of the future expectation. The views in this work on paperless, wireless, and cashless futures are with references to David Pearce Snyder, Lane Jennings, and Karl Albrecht.
The Disappearing Future: Paper- Where it Goes
In Wagner’s article, Top 10 Disappearing Futures, David Pearce Snyder writes on a paperless, wireless and cashless future by 2030. The topic ponders on ‘paper and the places it goes.’ Based on the article, Snyder a data-based forecaster writes that for over half a century, all their company’s data has been on papers. Together with his colleagues, they have ever learned from reading professional journals, and paper books, hard-copy newspapers, magazines, and think tank reports from where they kept up with the world’s future-shaping trends. Any relevant copies were clipped and filed for future references.
From Snyder’s view, it is evident that most paperwork is hard to handle when the files pile up to nearly three feet high in a store. In his office, are a dozen of paper files that cover the office desk and, moreover, countertops contain piles of folders since bookcases are already full. Most agencies that deal with record-keeping and management share similar experiences that Snyder does experience. However, most of such offices work on digitalizing their systems so that by 2030, all the papers would be gone.
Just like Snyder, most people would find it difficult to cope up with digital records since the mainstay of their entire profession has been to use their arms’ to access information/files. Therefore, it would be crucial that workers learn new skills to embrace the digital technology to become relevant in the future market. Employees would need to develop confidence in informatics and be equally confident that similar information from the bookshelves would be readily accessed in the cyberspace.
Current technological trends embrace paperless money transactions, cloud storage of big data, e-commerce and online marketing among others. The current inclination of communication and information is becoming free of physical association. We look forward to embracing an entirely cashless transaction by 2030. Currently, communication is wireless and quicker compared to the wired and medieval methods. Moreover, those who have begun employing digital or cyberspace databases can now quickly search and retrieve information faster than when searching from physical shelves. Also, sharing of information has become faster through wireless communication as well as social networks.
According to Lane Jennings, technological trends are clear since as opposed to almost a decade ago, when private libraries contained hard-copy books that interested owners, floppy disks came up and library books were merely redundant. Papers are here today and gone tomorrow. Karl Albrecht believes since the world of communication is rapidly becoming digital, we expect the disappearance of the U.S Local Post Offices and their services, magazines, newspapers, personal checks, books and the greeting cards by 2030. Technologies like emails and fax machines would radically reduce residential mails. Electronic cash billings and online payments will eliminate checks and reduce slashing of their costs. There would be probably penalties that those who use printed checks may incur. Sites such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook, et cetera shrink information on newspapers and magazines in bites and people would get them instantaneously with search capabilities. This online package would fit the viewers’ particular preferences. The dynamic packaging of magazine and newspaper online contents would contain videos, blogs, news pages, and games as primary models that interest people. Finally, publishers currently offer e-books, e-readers, v-books and other electronic media at lower costs compared to physical books. These books have become popular for academic and professional purposes.

Reference
Smart, J. M., Egger, D., Copper, J. F., Nordstrom, A., Diamond, J., Siko, J., … & Frey, T. (2013). Top 10 Disappearing Futures A special report by members and friends of the World Future Society. FUTURIST, 47(5), 22-39.