South Africa and Disruptive Tech

“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity” – Albert Einstein

Maybe Einstein was onto something, maybe he was not. However, we do live in the digital age whether you agree or not; and you will find that what Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen talk about in The New Digital Age is very much a reality in some way or form. You will also find that disruptive tech is the foundation of the new evolution meaning technological advancement don’t happen without disruptive tech.

What is disruptive tech?

Disruptive tech is technology that changes the way of living and the way of business such as Netflix, Uber and Virtual Reality. Take Virtual Reality for instance, not only has it changed gaming and advertising industries it is slowly bleeding into everyday life, because not only do you get to touch and feel, but you get an experience first.

The downside of disruptive tech is that it can’t be planned as it appears abruptly and can enter and leave the market in the same manner. The best the company can do is follow the trends, predict, analyse and hope that what they are introducing is what the mass market is looking for.

South Africa and Disruptive Tech Companies & what they do?

South Africa is not far behind with disruptive tech, there are myriad of companies that are investing and making disruptive technology. These companies are more than trying to be innovative and to leave a legacy, their motive is to try to make the world as we know it less complex and more adaptable. They are looking at the difficulties South Africa and other African countries are facing and finding unconventional solutions.

Here are a few companies that revolutionising the way of living, doing business and commuting:

• Snapplify

Snapplify is digital publishing company with a mission to solve the issue of students with no textbooks in South Africa. The innovation behind this technology is to allow students to download eBooks without any internet connection.

• Immersive Authority

Immersive Authority is a Business Enterprise Architecture consultancy. They are also a mixed reality solution provider where their specialised skill set is immersion of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, 360 technology and other disruptive technology.

Disruptive Tech that is going to soon break into different industries and has the potential to revolutionise data storage and business.

• Blockchain

Though we’ve come to associate this technology with cryptocurrency, it speculated to reform data-storage and how business data is recorded. Blockchain is a database that stores and maintains an incessantly growing list of records; and by design it’s secure, permanent and cannot be altered and modified in anyway or form. Blockchain may even change the entire finance industry, health sector and any data management system industry.

Types of Disruptive Tech

There are many disruptive technologies we are currently using and they have become the norm in our lives and here is but a short list:

• Internet of Things: wearable health and fitness monitors, traffic camera, Virtual Reality Games, smart doorbells and self-driving cars.
• Renewable electricity
• Cloud
• Mobile Internet
• 3D Printing

The beauty of disruptive technology is that life is becomes effortless, and for a lack of a better word, safe. However, to truly reach that point we must contend with issues like men vs. machine, loss of humanity and understanding how far we can do. The whole thing is a risky business, question is: are we ready for it.