Educate To Innovate As our society changes and people become more independent, innovation through new avenues has escalated. We are witnessing a shift from accepting traditional ideas and actions to rethinking ways of solving problems throughout our everyday lives. In response to various factors, maintaining a self-sustaining lifestyle is pivotal to the growth of our society in a new direction. Once employment was accompanied by a social stigma of not being able to get a real job, it is now an industry that is expanding due to emerging technology and a downturn in the economy. According to the Labor Force Survey,unemployment is at an estimated 1.8 million people, 5.75% of the workforce. The independent work trend disperses into other areas such a self-education. As we become more educated and interested in learning what we can do to help ourselves, we are enabled to become more inventive. The economic crisis we are currently living in has also triggered people into seeking a more self-sufficient way of living due to false promises of a better, easier, and more creative life. Rising medical costs are causing people to seek their own remedies, which have now reached into the government who are exploring new way to deliver health care. Environmentally, we are seeking cleaner sources of energy, which in turn will affect our overall health and wellness. In hopes to diversify normal actions and roles, the change we wish to see must come from ourselves and with the tools we have will be enable us to create, re-image, and rethink the ordinary.
Repurpose
The use of wind power has gained recognition as a new way to obtain cleaner energy in a number of countries. Seed Magazine exhibits a story about a boy who built a windmill out of scraps to produce water and energy for his family and eventually the whole village who were living in poverty. Common items usually thrown away are being repurposed, causing us to rethink what we would commonly toss in the trashcan.
Personalize
The rapid growth of mobile technology allows us to become more self sufficient in many aspects of our lives, including our careers. According to Quartz Magazine, the number of self-employed, contractors, and temporary workers since 2006 is at a rising number of 42.6 million people. Many people believe that commuting to work is a waste of time and energy, and by utilizing thetechnology we have we can maximize productivity, innovation, and our wellbeing.
Accessibility
The growth of do-it-yourself diagnosis and rising medical costs has caused a shift in consumers’ behavior in which we are more aware of the signs and symptoms of a disease. The Scanadu Scout, featured in PSFK, is one of many technologies that utilize our mobile phones as a means to check our health. These at home diagnosis devices are hoped to eventually be used to track general health on a daily basis.
Melissa Funk