Categories: Articles

When Things Get Weird

You know the moment… when things get weird?

Technology is about to get even more interesting. As more and more appliances and devices get connected, coupled with wearable technology making some serious headway, it’s bound to get as weird as it will get interesting. There have been a couple of moments – in just the past little while – where a new technology has come across my desk that has both intrigued me, but made me wonder if it’s all getting a little too… strange? Let me also be the first to say, that I don’t even consider things like Google Glass or self-driving cars all that weird at all.

Check this out…

Exhibit A – The New Fox News Deck. Is it just me or do these massive touch screens just seem… weird? Cool? Yes. Weird? Yes.

Exhibit B – The Refresh App. Granted, I think I have better small talk chops than this dude, but doesn’t it seem weird that we’re suddenly automating even the most basic of stuff? I suck at remembering names, and I can often be found not being prepared enough for a meeting due to time constraints. Again: Cool? Yes. Weird? Yes.

Exhibit C – Sony HMZ-T3W Head Mounted Display. We have seen devices like this before. You can cover your entire field of vision (and block out the rest of the world) with these headsets, but I can’t – for the life me – imagine seeing someone crack this bad boy out on an overseas flight. Perhaps this is a technology relegated for the hardcore gamers or individuals desperate for a divorce, but still. Once again: Cool? Yes. Weird? Yes?

What about you? What technology has got you all weirded out?

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.