08-05-2025
What the world needs now is… a little more simplicity
The mindfulness trend that crept in quietly years ago has firmly taken hold. A recent Forbes article on wellness trends found that decluttering and boundary-setting are some of the goals we'll be increasingly pursuing over the next year or more.
Simplicity, really, is key.
The irony is that while we're trying to minimise a lot of the noise around us, at the same time we're becoming more connected and more online, than ever before. Recent research from nbn shows that Australian households now download eight times more than a decade prior, and this is set to double within the next seven years. We also expect to double the amount we upload within the next four years and OMDIA predicts the average household will jump from 25 to 44 connected devices by 2030.
So, while we're trying to quiet down, there's a lot happening in the tech space and it can feel overwhelming. A 2024 survey by digital advocates Good Things found that almost two-thirds of Australians didn't feel comfortable keeping up with all the tech developments happening around them.
Finding simplicity in a hectic tech world
Computer scientist Alan Kay once reflected, 'Technology is anything that wasn't around when you were born.'
The overwhelm we might feel about advances that are happening around us, can be assuaged by realising it's just progress in action. And while the zeitgeist might be scrambling for the latest technology, there's no need to embrace everything at once.
In fact, it's quite easy to adapt to growing connectivity at your own pace. As the data shows, it's already happening — we've got our phones and computers hooked up, throw in a smart TV, and maybe a virtual assistant smart speaker, and you're already pretty connected.
At some point you might bring in security cameras, or even a smart washing machine — all accessible by your phone. You can construct your internet-integrated world piece by piece at your own pace.
