Sure, 2016 wasn’t one of the greatest years we’ve had recently. In fact, I’m sure that most people will think that it downright sucked. Most of the terrible things that came out of 2016 were to do with celebrity deaths and election outcomes. However, it wasn’t just those areas that suffered pretty badly this year. Technology didn’t come out of the year that well. Sure, there was some good stuff, but you need to remember that this was the year when some people’s smartphones just decided to set themselves on fire!
All wasn’t completely bad for tech in 2016, though. Here is our roundup of the main events.
Facebook Became The Enemy
This year hasn’t been a good one for Mark Zuckerberg and everyone at Facebook. In an attempt to make the world even more connected and open than what it already is, they inadvertently received a huge backlash, especially just after the American elections. The main reason for this is because of the increase in fake news. In the run-up to the election, many news stories popped up on Facebook’s timeline and these were seen by many users. Some people even claim that the news stories helped Donald Trump win the election. As a result, there are now calls for Facebook to clamp down on exactly what people see when they log in.
Samsung’s Phone Embarrassment
One of the biggest embarrassments of the whole year was for Samsung when many people reported that their new Galaxy Note 7 phones started to randomly catch on fire. This was down to a fault in the phones, and the company had to recall thousands from its customers. This problem was so bad that even airlines were banning the phones from their planes! Thankfully, this issue has been sorted out by now. But if you are still experiencing problems with your phone, it’s a good idea to contact someone who specializes in Samsung phone repair.
Women Make Waves
2016 was the first year in which women were making more waves in the tech sector than men. Sure, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are still on top, but it won’t be surprising if a woman knocks them off their top spot within the next couple of years. In fact, most of the current top women in tech are still in their early or mid-twenties so are sure to go on to many brilliant things in the coming decades. Just look at twenty-six-year-old Whitney Wolfe. After leaving her job at Tinder, she went on to create the app Bumble. This flips the whole Tinder idea on its head by giving women the chance to make the first contact with their matches. She isn’t the only tech company with a female at the helm, though. Just look at the VPs and CEOs of popular companies such as Google Maps and PlanGrid.
It’s obviously been a huge year for technology, but 2016 has delivered just as many downs as it has ups. Who knows exactly where tech will go in 2017?!
