Welcome to our last newsletter before Christmas! Has this been the longest December ever, or is it just me? As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to reflect on nine important things we learned about technology in 2025.
- AI Is Getting Boring (And That’s a Good Thing)
AI has stopped being headline news and started being an appliance. We can’t escape it—every time I open a program, it’s there. Everyone’s installed AI into their software. Try using Microsoft Word lately? I switched to LibreOffice, which so far has been AI-free.
- Personal Assistants Are Becoming Truly Personal
AI assistants aren’t just chatbots anymore. Once your AI gets to know you, it discovers your habits, your tone, and all your preferences. If that doesn’t bother you, I don’t know what will. I’m kind of sort of getting used to it.
- The Great Data Privacy Reckoning
We’re finally starting to push back. Stricter state laws and clear opt-outs are making a difference. When you find yourself on an email list you don’t want to be on, it’s so much easier to get out of now than before. Companies that try to make it hard are facing significant fines.
- Operating Systems Are Blurring Together
Mac OS, Linux, Windows—they’re all blurring together. Why? Because they all use cloud-based services now, and a lot of the software we use is cloud-based. I got my first taste of this when our tech guru Paul forced me to buy a Google Chromebook. I can’t believe he made me do this, but darn it, I love it. Everything’s online, I don’t need storage. It’s kind of cool—I just hope I can recover all my stuff when the apocalypse comes.
- Cybersecurity Moves from IT to Everyone
Cybersecurity is no longer just the IT department’s responsibility. You’ve got to pay attention because phishing is getting scarier thanks to AI voice and video deepfakes. It’s not just tech staff anymore—you have to be your own first line of defense.
- Video Becomes the Default Interface
From customer support to internal training to even our cute little club, you’re going to see a lot more video in the coming year. Video shorts have replaced the once-popular PDFs and lengthy emails we used to send out. If it can’t be explained on video, it’s considered broken.
- Smart Homes Are Finally Getting Smarter
Well, except my house. But seriously, there are thermostats now that do all kinds of remarkable things. Burglar alarm systems send video right to your smartphone when someone’s knocking on your door, in your backyard, or crawling through your bathroom window.
- Tech Fatigue Sparks a Digital Simplicity Movement
People are actively choosing slower apps, fewer notifications, and dumbed-down devices. You know what I found in my drawer? A flip phone. I’m so tempted to turn it on.
- Older Creators Have Their Moment
Experience is beating hype. Podcasts, YouTube channels, and newsletters are being run by a lot of older people. One of my very favorite YouTube creators now is a woman who I think lives in Kansas with her long flowing gray hair, teaching me all kinds of tech stuff. That’s good news.
It’s been an interesting year, and next week I’m going to be talking about the future of the club and getting some ideas from all of you, I hope.
Merry Christmas from the Tampa Bay Technology Center!
We’ll see you next week—after Christmas, but before New Year’s.
#TechNotes #TechTrends2024 #AIEvolution #DataPrivacy #Cybersecurity #CloudComputing #SmartHome #DigitalSimplicity #TechForSeniors #OlderCreators #TampaBayTech #TechNewsletter #YearInReview #FutureOfTech #TechFatigue