Surviving the 21st century

Technology has blurred the boundaries between work and play. At first this proved to be a thrill… until we discovered that we are also burning out faster, mentally and physically. By the middle of the year, you already feel as if you have worked an entire year - and you probably have. We don't live in the 21st century: we just cope and survive it.

I truly believe that we are faced with far too much information on a daily basis in the 21st century. To be on top of your game you need to be informed, but as life speeds up, we begin to edit out what does not immediately interest us, not as a matter of choice, but as a coping mechanism.

Increasingly interconnected

However, all information is becoming increasingly interconnected, so we inadvertently begin to place blinkers on our perspectives. As a result, our social interaction is affected, the generation gap widens and we start to miss out on crucial business opportunities. We also don't allow ourselves time for slow thought any longer, and as a consequence, we make rash decisions and creative thought is stifled.

Flux Trends has identified information overload as a growing problem, so we distil and condense the flood of information that is out there, and package it in more digestible formats. In today's world, what binds the social fabric is far-reaching and complex, so we go one step further and “join the dots”, highlighting the cause and effect that one industry or sector has on everything else.

By way of example, the faster technology develops the more it affects our social interactions, which in turn affects the way in which products are advertised or marketed, which in turn affects business strategies, and ultimately different sectors of the economy. It is a subtle but far-reaching domino effect that we don't consider, because we don't have enough time to observe. The current explosion of environmental issues is a case in point: we're only realising that we are wrecking the planet after the damage has been done.

Flux Trends surveys the landscape: culturally, commercially and artistically and provides a social commentary service that identifies lifestyle trends that affect the way in which we live, how that affects the way we interact with each other, and ultimately how we do business in the 21st century.

Flux Trend Review

We aim to create forward thinking strategies for a world that's in a constant state of flux.

The 2007 Flux Trend Review in association with www.bizcommunity.com is a two-day conference that will take place in Johannesburg on 7 and 8 September 2007. It presents an exciting new opportunity for business leaders, entrepreneurs and consumers - in fact for everyone who needs to be up-to-speed with the rapidly-changing world we live in - to update their knowledge on the current ‘zeitgeist'. It aims to consider ‘the state we're in' across a number of industries and sectors that have a direct influence on our daily lives, as well as the way we interact with each other, and ultimately, the way we do business with each other.

Day 1 is tailor-made for businesses big and small, while Day 2 focuses on consumer and lifestyle issues. An array of top thinkers and speakers will offer insights on trend-based topics ranging from politics, media and popular culture to what's new in technology, decor and even property, enabling strategists to review the way forward and to plan accordingly.

For more info and bookings on the 2007 Flux Trend Review, go to www.fluxtrends.co.za or call Sanesh Maharaj at Flux Trends on +27 (0)11 442 2641. The venue is the faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (FADA) auditorium, on the new University of Johannesburg Campus, Auckland Park, Johannesburg.