21 Mar The State of Digital Deviation

As the pace of digital technology acceleration continues to grow at unprecedented levels, what specific areas should we be paying attention to? Which specific technologies will have the largest impact? How can leaders, executives, governments, and even everyday consumers stay ahead of the curve?

One potential framework for answering such questions would be to view digital disruption in the context of deviation. In statistics, the term “deviation” is defined as: “The amount by which a single measurement differs from a fixed value, such as the mean”. By viewing innovation from the lens of deviation, we increase our probabilities of identifying directional tailwinds as they emerge.

In other words, one methodology for measuring the impact of any given digital technology is to observe how significant of a deviation it has from the average value. Peter Thiel, the German-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, calls this going from 0 to 1: “Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something new, you go from 0 to 1.” 

While the digital deviation framework may not result in identifying stunning trends that make for spicy headlines on tech blogs, what it will do is reveal technologies that are making practical impact, attracting capital, securing breakthrough patents, reshaping entire industries, and truly changing the world we live in. Further, it will help us see through the foggy and frantic digital technology landscape with clarity and coherence.

Consider the need for clarity around heightened sensitivity in handling consumer data privacy; climate change fighting technology that’s reshaping the planet we live on; the electrification of everything around us; artificial meats hitting our dinner plates; financing our lifestyles with new forms of credit; and combatting devastating effects on our healthcare system, to name a few. 

The State of Digital Deviation will explore all of these and more, technologies that may truly forever change how we interact, conduct commerce, and live life.