The Deceptive Nature of Technology and Its Disruptive Power

Technology often feels like a distant, futuristic concept in today’s fast-paced world. We imagine it as something far off when, in fact, it’s already shaping our lives in ways we might not even notice. As it advances quietly, it brings about profound changes that disrupt entire industries, and understanding this process can help us better prepare for the future.

At Singularity University, Peter Diamandis, one of its founders, introduced the “6 Ds” concept – a process that all technological sectors undergo. Every sector eventually becomes digitized. Once this happens, the technology is dematerialized, meaning physical products become digital.

After dematerialization, technology enters what Diamandis calls the deceptive phase. Innovations remain largely unseen during this time, quietly evolving in tech labs and innovation centers worldwide. These technologies get faster, cheaper, and more efficient until they eventually burst into the mainstream. At that point, they disrupt entire industries by democratizing and demonetizing them.

One of the most famous examples is the digital camera. In 1976, Kodak developed the first digital camera, which weighed 8 kilograms and took 22 seconds to capture a single photo. The Kodak board dismissed the innovation, believing it had no future. The technology, however, quietly continued to evolve in its deceptive phase. By the time digital photography emerged two decades later, it led to the downfall of giants like Kodak and Fuji.

This pattern repeats itself across various industries, yet many of us tend to ignore it. Why? Because we are emotionally attached to outdated ideas or simply too overwhelmed by the pace of change. This unwillingness to adapt leads to a new reality, often referred to as the zero marginal cost society – where digital products can be created, shared, and accessed for free.

Think about the number of photos we now have at our fingertips. There are over a million photos on the phones of a couple hundred people. And what is the cost of taking and sharing them? Absolutely nothing. You can apply 22 filters, make yourself look like a supermodel, and share the results with friends at zero cost. In a sense, thanks to this democratization of technology, we’ve all become supermodels.

As technology continues to evolve, this shift has become the new norm. Innovations, once dismissed, are now shaping how we live, work, and interact with the world around us. And the next technology sector to be disrupted may be closer than we think.

In conclusion, the deceptive nature of technology makes it easy for us to overlook its potential. However, by understanding the stages it goes through, from digitization to disruption, we can better prepare ourselves for the inevitable changes. The future of technology isn’t far away – it’s already here, and it’s quietly transforming the way we live in profound ways.

Note: This blog post is an adaptation of the transcript from the video below.