Hello 2020.

I would like to open this year by sharing some happenings in 2019 that can make us hopeful and feel positive for the future.

Please have a look, and share your own take on these matter. You could also share your own version of things to be hopeful.

This is my findings.

1. Control on social media

I think you would agree with me that some things happening on social media are getting out of hands. How we communicate on social media and also the impact of some actions communication on social media.

What I notice, sometimes, the impact becomes so negative. We cannot control the perception and how people would feel. How it drives their judgement. Their understanding. And therefore their decision making.

We can understand that people use social media for different needs or have different agenda. Some might be good. But some might not. Some are mature and can protect themselves. Some need protection.

That is why I feel it is important to highlight the positive and responsible action done by some biggest platform. Making quite the example, Twitter and Instagram.

Twitter bans political ad. Because influence is ‘earned, not bought’.

From the article Big Think,“We’ve made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally. We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought,” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted.

“A political message earns reach when people decide to follow an account or retweet. Paying for reach removes that decision, forcing highly optimized and targeted political messages on people. We believe this decision should not be compromised by money.”

I just love this. I think it’s about time those who has the power, take responsibility in controlling what is good and right. As the owner of the platform it is necessary to do what is right and show leadership. Really push quality content and positive conversation. You gotta start from somewhere. Right ?

Instagram announces global expansion of hidden like counts test. 

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has repeatedly noted that the test is designed to reduce the pressure on Instagram creators, and that the true measure of its success will relate to how it impacts people emotionally. Taken from article Social Media Today.

This way, content becomes the best value that we can qualified based on who you are today, tomorrow, yesterday, every day. In world full of judgment, I think we’re setting it straight through these examples. My point of view.

2. Improvement on education system

I totally agree when reading this statement. “Learning is not a competition,” by Ong Ye Kung, Singapore’s Education Minister. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is planning a series of changes aimed at discouraging comparisons between student performance and encourage individuals to concentrate on their own learning development.

I remember a quote from Mark Twain. Don’t let schooling interfere with your education. Nowadays, so many education institutions are racing towards the best. Being the best. Well now, Singapore has made quite the change.

Children in Singapore will no longer be ranked by exam results. 

According to weforum article, shifting the focus away from exam perfection towards creating more rounded individuals represents a serious change of direction for Singapore. Alongside academic performance the new policies aim to foster social development among pupils to raise self-awareness and build decision-making skills.

The skills we need to perform at work are changing – and quickly.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2018 suggests that employees will see an average shift of 42% in workplace skills between now and 2022.

Indonesia is also progressing some changes as the new education and cultural minister, Nadiem Makarim has launch 4 program education policy, one of them to remove National Exam starting by 2021.

3. Action on climate change

Most grateful to see actions being taken in protecting mother earth for the betterment of the future. And we have Greta Thunberg to be thankful for.

“I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.” Greta Thunberg told the annual convention of CEOs and world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2019.

According to Time Person of the Year article, Greta began a global movement by skipping school: starting in August 2018, she spent her days camped out in front of the Swedish Parliament, holding a sign painted in black letters on a white background that read Skolstrejk för klimatet: “School Strike for Climate.” In the 16 months since, she has addressed heads of state at the U.N., met with the Pope, sparred with the President of the United States and inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike on September 20, 2019, in what was the largest climate demonstration in human history.

Since then, real changes have been made. From the article, among the actions there are,

• Fortune500 companies, facing major pressure to reduce their emissions, are realizing that sustainability makes for good PR.
• In June, the airline KLM launched a “Fly Responsibly” campaign, which encouraged customers to consider abstaining from non-essential air travel.
• In July, the head of OPEC, the cartel that controls much of the world’s oil production, called climate strikers the “greatest threat” to his industry, according to the AFP.
• In September, workers at Amazon, Facebook and other major companies walked out during the climate strikes.
• And in November, the president of Emirates airline told the BBC that the climate strikers helped him realize “we are not doing enough.”
• In December, Klaus Schwab, the founder and CEO of the World Economic Forum, published a manifesto calling on global business leaders to embrace a more responsible form of capitalism that, among other things, forces companies to act “as a steward of the environmental and material universe for future generations.”
• In the past year, more than 60 countries said they would eliminate their carbon footprints by 2050.
• Voters in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden—especially young people—now list climate change as their top priority.
• In May, green parties gained seats in the European Parliament from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and more.
• There was an 8% drop in domestic flights between January and April according to Swedavia, which runs the nation’s airports, and Interrail ticket sales have tripled over the past two years.
• More than 19,000 people have signed a pledge swearing off air travel in 2020, and the German railway operator Deutsche Bahn reported a record number of passengers using its long-distance rail in the first six months of 2019.
• Swiss and Austrian railway operators also saw upticks on their night train services this year.

In short, I think the things happening today will take matter for the future and in becoming a much kinder world. A safer world.

Just what the world needs right now. To be kind. To make the world a peaceful place to live in.

Other things that has got my attention is the rise awareness of self-care. And how people in their own way are educating how to care about yourself, how to be kind to yourself as well to others.

The next question,  if things are changing, and people has come to be aware, how to protect it ? How to keep making things good ?

I feel somehow the technology of blockchain is still the most technology that has the biggest impact for the decades to come (Read Blockchain revolution by Don Tapscott or his TedTalk. ). Might be, currently, some people out there are developing block chain based applications and making better new businesses hence ensuring a better world.

Because of the system that is based on integrity of network, control on distribution of power, secured identity, privacy, rights preserved and inclusivity. All those aspect are not optional. It is all or nothing at all.

Imagine how it could end feudalism.

I’d like that. Don’t you ?

Happy new year everyone.

Tyas is now Partner Consultant and Trainer on Digital and Social Media at Bangwin Consulting, Freelancer, Writer/Blogger, Podcaster. For project enquiries, tyas@bangwinconsulting.com