Imagining the future

We can see the differences on a chromosomal level: cisgender women (cisgender meaning they were assigned female at birth) have two X chromosomes, cis men have one X and one Y chromosome. While there are more than 1,000 genes on an X chromosome, fewer than 100 fit on a Y chromosome. This also results in different health needs – and not only in gynaecology. Though while we are on the topic, women are still often offered the birth control pill as a panacea for everything – or dismissed since that’s just the way it is. But what if it’s not just the way it is? More and more start-ups are specialising in FemTech, a term coined to encapsulate all sorts of different gadgets designed to improve women’s health. Whether it’s a smart bracelet to counter hot flushes, tools to help with family planning or intelligent tampons that could be used to detect uterine cancer – the future of tech is female! 

They currently focus mainly on the energy, transport and mobility, food, agriculture, forestry and manufacturing industries – all of which are big culprits when it comes to emissions. In recent years, climate tech companies have grown at an average rate of 84%* – and that figure is increasing due to high demand. Many of them are based in Silicon Valley, Shanghai or Beijing – but Germany also offers fertile soil for innovation: it is the most popular location for climate tech start-ups in Europe. What do you think – will climate tech help us preserve a world worth living in? 

*Source: PWC Climate Tech Studie 2020 

Push notifications disrupt our focus and while the metaverse is coming closer and closer, many just want to log off. Turn off their smartphones. Take a deep breath. Touch some grass – because tech fatigue is setting in. But is technology really the enemy? After all, it makes our lives easier, brings people together and creates opportunities. It’s the dose that makes the poison. How much tech is healthy or tolerable? Is there such a thing as too much? How can we get off the (not so) merry-go-round of digital experiences – and do we even want to? Ironically, technology seems to be the remedy. The apps we are so addicted to send us reminders to limit our screen time and we can even install software to make us take breaks – whatever is needed to wean us off our screens. 

So, what happens when we switch to a 4-day week? It results in happier employees, increased motivation and productivity, a better work-life balance, more time for family and fewer sick days. Those who have tried it never want to go back. There are different models for the 4-day week: the same number of hours spread over four days, fewer hours with full pay – or something in between. But which employers can – or want to – afford this? And how will legislation react? One thing is certain: the trend is undeniably gaining momentum. But will everyone get on board? 

Yet the best ideas often come to us in quiet phases, because our creativity needs space to unfold – and that doesn’t happen in the couple of minutes we have between two meetings. One thing is certain: always being on fire is pretty unhealthy in the long run – so it’s up to us to find ways out of it. After all, we don’t have to follow every trend.

Since money is a topic that concerns us all, finance-related content is finding fertile ground. The following of often-self-proclaimed financial experts is growing rapidly. But instead of old men in suits, we are seeing more and more young women who have become successful finfluencers and are building active (female) communities around them. Will we ever get tired of hearing about money? Not for the time being – once we’re done talking about euros, dollars and pounds, the world of crypto awaits us. 

These concepts have one thing in common: goods are limited and usually sell out quickly. And although no one knows whether they will still get what they want, people line up – because everyone wants to be part of the event. Fuelled by social media, successful pop-ups generate a huge amount of hype. And since they’re so popular, it makes sense for the organisers to return. When? This secret is usually only revealed at short notice – exclusivity is key. 

Sure, Denglish (the mixing of Deutsch and English) isn’t exactly new, and German has seen a steady influx of anglicisms for many years. But this is different: it is no longer about individual English words that have been included in German dictionaries. Young Germans have become more adept at code-switching – a practice already common among many other communities such as the Latinx community in the United States. But the phenomenon is not even restricted to foreign languages – many English native speakers are left baffled when confronted with words such as sus or flex. Cool or cringe?  That’s a question we ask ourselves when we find that this mishmash has even made its way into newspaper articles. Yet in some cases it just seems a bit forced (no front). Whatever your opinion, there is no denying the fact that our language is continuously evolving – for better or worse. 

To do this, the various services that the internet has to offer are merged into a seamless world. This creates new opportunities for socialising and leisure activities, but also new business models – making more and more virtual goods turn into status symbols. Besides fun, the metaverse also has potential practical applications: surgeons can wear VR goggles during an operation and call up additional information about the patient or retrace work steps that their colleagues have already undertaken on other affected organs. However, despite all the advantages, virtual worlds are not immune to the problems of our analogue world. The decentralised nature of the metaverse means that uniform rules and laws are difficult to implement.  Risks such as addiction and the question of identity loom large. Will we lead a kind of double life in the future? 

Then again, the Mona Lisa can also be copied. But the original remains the original. Whether you’re a collector or an artist – everyone can take part. The only thing you need is a digital wallet with enough Ether – the currency of the Ethereum blockchain, where NFTs are mainly traded. With a bit of luck, you can make a neat sum of money – a current example is the digital collage by Mike Winkelmann aka Beeple, The First 5000 Days. It was sold for almost $70 million – and you can’t even touch it. But what do artists with brushes and paints, with crayons and spray cans have to say about it? Is it still art or does it need a new name? Investment? Pure madness? And how environmentally friendly are NFTs? After all, they exist on the blockchain and consume vast amounts of electricity. And anyway – didn’t we say we’re getting tired of flickering screens?