25 Things Disappearing by 2030: Are You Ready for the Future?
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Change is the only constant, and that is certainly true in our fast-changing world. Technology and societal shifts are changing the way we live and redefining the very structure of our lives.
By 2030, many of those objects, roles, and systems you consider part of life could be gone.
Cash
Have you ever noticed that you are carrying less and less paper money? It may be possible that cash would become a rare relic by 2030.
Apps like Venmo and Zelle rule the economy’s digital transactions, and even tiny businesses are dropping “cash only” signs for digital-only payments. When the phrase “cash is king” abdicates its throne, don’t be shocked.
Passwords
It’s a nightmare trying to remember 14 different password variations. Luckily, with biometric verification such as fingerprints, facial recognition, and iris scans, your online accounts might soon open up with a quick glance — bidding farewell to the infamous ‘Forget Password’ button.
Keys
Smartphone-based digital keys may silence the jingling pockets. Your phone will become the key to unlocking your house and starting your car, and that’s until we inevitably lose it and temporarily panic.
Remote Controls
“Where’s the remote?” We don’t have to shout across the room by 2030. Voice commands are replacing your remotes with smart home technology. Instead, you can say “Play Netflix,” and voilà, you’re bingeing Bridgerton with no remotes lost in the couch.
Big Hard Drives
Why would you even carry around gigantic storage devices, when you have your precious photos and files stored safely on the cloud? Physical drives are slowly going out of fashion, as Cloud storage is growing in terms of both reliability and efficiency.
Chargers
Goodbye to the hunt for outlets and cables. By the decade’s end, wireless and solar charging innovations are meant to render our homes and offices cord-free.
Eyeglasses
Corrective eye surgery is becoming more and more advanced and now includes smart contact lenses that have the functionality to correct vision issues, as well as project digital overlays.
By 2030 glasses may largely become an aesthetic accessory rather than an actual tool for clearer vision.
Parking Meters
A roll of quarters for parking? Outdated. The lonely sidewalk meters are being eliminated one scan, tap, or swipe at a time by digital parking apps and solutions such as automatic license plate recognition.
Public Touch Screens
Tapping at grimy communal screens? Gross. Highly hygiene-conscious consumers are opting to interact via personal mobile devices and businesses are adapting fast. Then there’s the fact that voice tech makes this replacement a no-brainer.
Tax Preparers
Do you remember sweating over your taxes with a professional? Going solo is now easier for most, thanks to the AI-powered tax software like TurboTax and automated tools which are making the demand for traditional tax preparers be decreased.
Locomotive Engineers
In some parts of the world, human operators will be made redundant with advanced systems of automated train. Unlike us, machines don’t need coffee breaks or eight hours of sleep.
Credit Cards
The era of swiping, tapping, or inserting a physical card may soon end. Digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay are dominant, so physical credit cards could soon be as passé as floppy disks.
Mobile technology makes payments a simple matter of a touch or scan, that’s proving convenient enough to fuel this shift.
Parking Enforcement Workers
Smart parking sensors and automated systems are ringing the death knell for parking tickets lovingly (read: begrudgingly), which was written by humans. Even municipalities are redirecting resources.
Warehouse Stockers
In industries that are focusing increasingly on faster and more efficient delivery systems, a growing replacement of the human labor force is being carried out by automated robots, which are capable of lifting, sorting, and stacking inventory in warehouses.
Watch Repair Technicians
With smartwatches stealing market share from traditional watches, there is less and less need for skilled repair technicians. We now have literally evolving wrists.
Cashiers
Automation is climbing in the world of retail through self-checkout systems and automated retail experiences. Could Amazon’s cashierless stores be the first sign of a human-less shopping future?
Meter Readers
This means that human meter readers are no longer necessary, because smart meters are reporting directly to utility companies. Accurate, automated and efficient — what more could you ask for?
Taxi Drivers
Humans who drive taxis, though, are a diminishing breed, with ride-sharing apps and self-driving cars on the horizon.
Engine and Machine Assemblers
Robots acting as workers on assembly lines are nothing new, but by 2030, they could make humans disappear altogether on the job, as their precision and ability to ban human error entices firms.
Dispatchers
In logistics and services, we are about to see roles of dispatchers eliminated by AI-powered systems entrusted with route planning and real-time communication.
Airport Queues
Security technology is getting streamlined, and advanced screening systems designed to eliminate the infamous airport queue will ease security line woes.
Video Rental Stores
And if Blockbuster ceasing to exist hasn’t yet put you on notice, trust us, physical video rental stores will no longer be a thing, streaming platforms will take over completely.
Payphones
The chances are, outside of a nostalgic movie, you will not find a payphone. This battle was already won by our pocket– sized smartphones.
Fast-Food Workers
Picture McDonald’s; the burger is cooked and handed over to you by a robot. Thanks to automation creeping into fast food kitchens, that future is closer than we think.
Personal Privacy
Sorry, privacy fans. Traditional boundaries around personal space are erasing faster than your Snapchat story thanks to smarter AI systems, sensors and pervasive data tracking.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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