11 July 2011

What trends should we be watching? TED U audience responds

June Cohen hosts TED University at TEDGlobal 2011, July 7-15, 2011, Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED

This afternoon at TED U, as the stage was being set up for a musical performance by Somi, host June Cohen (above) asks the audience at the Lyceum Theater: “What’s a trend happening now that we should be aware of?”

Here are some of the answers that came from the audience:

“The Amazon rainforest is beautiful here and now and we need to take care of it.”

“A democracy of energy generation is something we should be addressing.”

“Technology has outstripped imagination; let’s bring imagination back to the forefront.”

“I see three institutions going away in the next ten years: marriage, schools, and hospitals.”

“State education seems to be failing many of the world’s poorest. There’s a new trend of low-cost private schools taking their place.”

“Replacement organs are becoming a reality.”

“There is a growing and dangerous trend of reducing complex ideas to simple ones.”

“The internet is a huge platform to leverage citizen participation in the world.”

“Colleges and universities are going truly global.”

“Making fun of serious things is acceptable and should happen.”

“We will start treating our personal data like money.”

“Public policy really should be public.”

“Developed nations creating incredible generational debt.”

“I see TEDx and derivatives bringing power to the people.”

“The undemocratization of the internet with closed communities like Facebook.”

“TED.com connects all of us here with love.”

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