In many countries there is a type of fly which is born and dies in the same day. It goes by different names and the biology changes around the world, but this type of insect is well known. In England it is called the ‘Mayfly’, in Germany it is the ‘Eintagsfliege’. Down Under, in Australia, it is also called a Mayfly… but it hatches in the late spring and early summer months around November and December. The question one might ask is, is digitisation also a Mayfly, a one-day-wonder?
When we consider that we are now talking about Industry 4.0 it begs the question of what will come next. What will Industry 5.0 bring? Will digitisation still be on the agenda when we are living in the age of that new buzzword? And thinking about telecommunications and your smartphone, are you ready for the inevitable obsolescence of 3G and 4G with the imminent introduction of 5G?
Perhaps the use of numbers in this context speaks of a continuous evolution which reflects a primary force that has driven mankind and the natural world to the wonders that exist today. That might be a constructive way to think about digitisation; a progressive evolution of the way that we exploit and interact with digitally enabled technology to create a better world.
... to continue reading you must be subscribed
