Things that will disappear in the next 50 years...

When looking at megatrends it is hard not to try to imagine what their concrete consequences might be. This is good, since it gets us closer to scenario planning. However, it is evenly hard to draw a line between realistic and workable scenario's, and mere speculation. Especially since with scenario planning you need to 'think the unthinkable', otherwise you wouldn't be prepared for all imaginable futures (re-read the Black Swan if needed).

So what to think of the 'extinction timeline' as designed by Richard Watson (author of the enjoyable: Future Files: A Brief History of the Next 50 Years)?



Probably too much info in this chart, so just in a nutshell here's the most striking 'extinctions' we can expect according to him:

2014: Getting lost
2016: Retirement
2019: Libraries
2020: Copyright
2022: Blogging, Speleeng, The Maldives
2030: Keys
2033: Coins
2036: Petrol engined vehicles
2037: Glaciers
2038: Peace & Quiet
2049: Physical newspapers, Google
Beyond 2050: Uglyness, Nation States, Death

... not all completely lunatic in my humble opinion... I'm caught in the game, and would add an extra one:

by 2060: Work (as we know it).


Yes, future watching can definitely be fun !