The lens through which viewers receive their news has changed. The images of struggle are no longer frozen in time; technology has helped preserve and personalize these conflicts by producing moving tributes to the conflicts of humankind.
The strife and internal conflicts that marred the globe in 2006 continued into 2007: Mynamar (Burma), Palestine and Lebanon all continue to struggle with internal conflicts in their borders. The differences between 2006 and 2007 are not obvious; however, under close examination, it is evident that several external struggles have been transformed into internal conflicts. In 2006, many countries attempted to influence their neighbors. This was evident with Iran attempting to influence the turmoil in Iraq, and Syria attempting to control Lebanon. Both struggles have evolved into internal personal conflicts in 2007.
While video is not a new technology, the spread of video-viewing technology in devices like the iPod has brought the faces of terror into the homes of the western world. Advances in technology have also encouraged the West to open both their hearts and wallets, with many sponsoring children like Youseff, a child with a horribly scarred face. The same technology that brought Youssef's story to millions of homes, also helped bring tragedies like the Virginia Tech massacres.
In 2007, the heavy reliance on technology forced censorship and spying to the forefront of concerns. Many western countries accused the communist nation, China, of cyber snooping and hacking. Also, Russia did not remain unscathed in 2007, with widespread suspicion and accusations following the death of Alexander Litvinenko in late 2006. On a more positive note, North Korea seems to have complacently agreed to nuclear compliance.
With Armadinajad's (the President of Iran) comments about homosexuality heard world wide, many found them comical. He took the "don't ask, don't tell" policy to an extreme, denying the existence of homosexuality in the country of Iran. While the Western World smirks, the repressiveness of the Iranian regime lacks humor. The proximity and repeated threats against Israel illustrate the region's unchanged tension.
With the exception of the California Wildfires, nature spared the US of it's wrath in 2007. However, places like the Minneapolis bridge were victim to construction flaws, leading to collapse. Furthermore, the falling dollar was the victim of economics.
As culture and society have evolved, so have viruses. We have seen drug resistant TB, and "super bugs". These drug resistant super bugs are said to rival diseases like AIDs and have the capacity to decimate an entire population.
While technology has personalized the struggles of humankind, the internet has become a flood of information making it more difficult than ever to discern what is fact and what is fiction. This generation struggles to remember a world without the Internet. A world without the "web" is as unthinkable as a world without TV's, microwaves, or telephones. The next generation will not know a world without the real time moving images that bring news and information to their fingertips. Will the globalization and portability of news make a difference when it comes to tolerance and understanding? That is for the future generation to decide.
Top 10 Winners Predicted for 2008
1. Video
2. Healthy
3. Long Tail
4. Buy USA
5. Rich Internet / Interactive Web / Semantic Web / Web Services
6. Aggregate and Attention Data
7. Power of the People
8. Going Green
9. Biometrics and Big Brother
10. Prosthetics / Bionic
Top 10 Losers Predicted for 2008
1. Lead
2. Squat Toilets
3. DRM
4. China
5. Skinny is Out
6. Blockbuster / Netflix
7. Orbo
8. MySpace fell to Facebook
9. Privacy
10. Piracy
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2007 Reflections, 2008 Predictions