Thursday, March 19, 2009

Shared Uncertainties

Our CEO Osman Sultan has recently mentioned the following quote in one of his presentations “we are moving from an age on unshared certainties to one of shared uncertainties”. Indicating that previously industries were completely separate from each other, and each specific industry had its certain ways of doing things. After the new 2.0 era and the basic symptoms of convergence all industries are trying to change and to a certain extent integrate with one another. This has resulted in similar uncertainties that are shared across industries.
As humans we like to be in control, and know what to expect. This is why we try to forecast figures for the future, see clairvoyants and set 5 year plans. We are now at a stage where we cannot forecast for next week and it makes everyone frustrated.
It’s like being hit by a sandstorm (as is common in Dubai), and it has resulted in a feeling of claustrophobia and frustration; one where we cannot plan our upcoming vacation, cannot make long term financial commitments, nor being able to work towards a long term goal.
Welcome to the age of real-time or JIT (just in time), the age of digital. It’s as if the off-line world has miraculously changed to suit the online one. An age where we cannot call a travel agent, give them an itinerary and wait for their proposals because we want to travel tomorrow. An age where waiting more than one minute is considered a long long time. One where you’re internet connection speed determines the pace of your life.
I have personally always loved fast paced city life, but am currently very frustrated by the lack of clarity. I cannot make plans for next weekend as I don’t know if I will need to be called into work; so if the weekend comes and I know that I am free I go online and buy a ticket to travel for two days to make the most of the days I have off.
There is no conclusion for this article, it’s more of a situational analysis indicating that we need to change the way we look at things. We need to be more impulsive, and possibly learn a few lessons from the Vodafone Mayfly...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi,
just found ur article randomly while researching some telecom advertising details...i think that ur view represents a less than .1% of the indian population. i dunno if ur complaining or making a point but consider urself lucky to be in that position. after all its was ur choice!

fk said...

I do consider myself very lucky :)

Everything is relative though, and typically everyone has their different problems.

Anonymous said...

no doubt thats true but since ur were cribbing i had to point out!

seo in mumbai said...

nice one ha..... as i found your article very interesting and i like it