Techstorm Summer Edition
The Quest for New Digital Diagnoses...
First, thanks for all your comments on my last two postings. April 1st on geopolitics, and later the same month on tech-washing (also published in Sifted/Financial Times). All your feedback is really useful for the development of my thinking around tech, and where it’s taking us. If this feedback also turns into excellent lunches with interesting people (yes, those who recognize themselves know who I’m talking about), then that’s a bonus!
For future Techstorm forecasts, I will, from now on, give myself the luxury of casting a somewhat wider net, but still always with focus on analysis and reflections on science, society, tech, startups, VCs, and bubbles. Of course, I won’t let go of the Techstorm Forecasts and will continue to share the updated ones 3 times per year (January, April, and September). Currently, with a focus on deep tech, geopolitics, and AI, but as the landscape changes and bubbles burst, so may the focus also change.
I’m writing this on my way back from a keynote in Bangkok, where I hopefully managed to instill some AI curiosity into the insurance industry. During my preparations, briefing calls, and initial discussions around the details of my speech, we came to discuss different perspectives on some of the most commonly used digital technologies these days.
What are our relationships to social media, location services, streaming, and generative AI? It’s fair to say that these innovations (?) have changed our worldview and how we behave. It’s also fair to say that our use of these systems has evolved, for good and for bad.
For this (relaxed) summer edition of the Techstorm newsletter, I’ll share some observations on these cultural phenomena and how our use of technologies changes over time. First, we’re amazed, then overwhelmed, before finally finding peace by using the right tools and applying a bit of common sense.
I remember the first time I used a digital map in my car. This was the mid-1990s, and the Volvo I had borrowed from the manufacturer had a map that only covered a radius of 20 km around the factory. Outside of this reach, it was like driving into a void. Today, I plug it in as soon as I get into the car, even when driving to the local grocery store 5 minutes away. You never know, right?
So let’s check in on your digital health. With the explosion of smartphones, endless scrolling, and AI controlling our daily lives, several new medical diagnoses have emerged in recent years. The three most common are:
Feed frustration
You’ve spent way too much time on social media, scrolling, looking, and liking to create a feed curated to your interests and preferences.
Then suddenly your eyes get stuck on a cute dog, a crazy mountain bike crash, or whatever the latest online trend is.
Your feed gets contaminated, and you will need to start over again. Remember, there’s no easy way to trick the algorithms!
This same frustration is found when you let your kids (or spouse, or friend with bad taste in music) use your Spotify app. Suddenly, you get the weirdest recommendations in between your totally cool and carefully curated digital mixtapes.
And, whatever you do, don’t use your computer when buying costumes for Christmas like I did for my brother and me. Nowadays, all my "tailored" online ads are a mix of weird clothes from nondescript or downright shady merchants.
Streaming fatigue
After a hard day’s work, with lots of closed deals and inspiring interactions, of course, you want to wind down in front of your "smart" TV.
“Let’s watch something”, you tell your spouse, and then you spend one hour browsing, trying to find that show you read about the other day, or the one you watched last week that’s suddenly impossible to find since you can’t remember which streaming service it’s on, or maybe there’s something just a little bit better?
And then, when you finally start watching, you’re confusing one drama with another.
"Wait a minute, wasn’t there a spy in the basement here? Didn’t that guy with the beard die? And wasn’t she married to that other guy?"
AI Anxiety
Also commonly known as the Chat GPT Syndrome. This is probably the most common digital diagnosis these days. The most common symptoms include the feeling of being constantly left behind by the latest AI tools. Also, AI anxiety includes worrying about your future and that of your kids. What should they study? What’s the point of studying? Will there even be jobs available for them?
No, AI won’t take your job. AI won’t replace you. If you’re to be replaced, it will be by someone else using AI better than you.
That said, this is the right time to pay some attention to what’s happening. Be a bit curious about these new tools. See what they can do for you, and how they can take you to the next level.
Fast forward a decade or so, and the above diagnoses will be joined by a sci-fi flavored cadre, such as clone confusion (am I talking to myself?), quantum misalignment (the feeling of being in two places at the same time), and teleportation sickness (like motion sickness, jet lag, and homesickness combined).
Did I miss any new diagnoses? Brainstorm, be creative, and send me your suggestions.
I’ll be back after the summer with my annual Techstorm AI Forecast, and I can already say that, unless there are any black swan events before September, this Forecast will be filled with bubbles and inflated expectations. Did anyone say ”vibe coding”? Or did I hear ”churn”?
Have a great summer, and welcome to Sweden if you’re looking for a ”coolcation”!
To infinity and beyond.
… Nicklas
One more thing…
If you know your sci-fi history, you’re well acquainted with H.G. Wells and his 1896 novel “The War of the Worlds”, the first published story about an alien invasion. The most famous adaptation is probably the 1938 radio dramatization that had listeners actually believe that the Martians were invading.
Fast forward to 2025 and a total of eight (8!) movie adaptations of the original novel. The latest being a high-paced and somewhat different version featuring Ice Cube and Eva Longoria. The story is set in present-day USA, and is more or less exclusively told through online chats, video calls, and CCTV footage. Different? Yes! Worth watching? Absolutely!