Top 2022 Trends: Breaking the Mold and Embracing Transformation!
Published on: March 10, 2024
The year marked a significant pivot in the collective mindset, representing a move towards introspection and pragmatic skepticism within both individual life choices and broader societal systems. Coined as the 'Year of Does This Serve Us', this period was characterized by a widespread reassessment of the way people interact with and perceive the constructs and tools at their disposal. This compelling narrative is not just about a change in thought but also a shift in action, as individuals and communities alike began to challenge the normative structures that had long been taken for grant.
One of the focal points of this year's evolution was the re-examination of reification — the process of treating abstract concepts as if they have a physical or concrete existence. Communities across various domains began rejecting the rigid adherence to ideas and systems that, upon closer scrutiny, did not necessarily contribute to collective or individual well-being. Particularly, in the realm of technology and data handling, this philosophical shift had tangible repercussions.
JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, emerged as a prominent example of this new attitude toward reification in technology. JSON is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. Despite its simplicity, there was an increasing concern that the conventions surrounding JSON use were contributing to a form of digital reification, where data structures and schemas were treated as inflexible truths rather than fluid representations of reality.
In the software industry, and particularly in the development of web services and APIs, there was a growing movement to eschew overly rigid JSON schemas in favor of more adaptable and context-sensitive data models. This aligned with the year’s theme of utility — questioning whether current practices served the needs of projects and goals effectively, or if they merely complied with the status quo. Developers began advocating for and implementing JSON structures that allowed for more dynamism and better reflected the mutable nature of data and user needs.
The rejection of reification in JSON was not an isolated phenomenon but part of a larger conversation about openness, flexibility, and the value of questioning established practices. There was a call to approach abstract concepts with a critical eye, whether discussing data schemas, societal norms, or the very tools and technologies that underpin modern life. The 'Year of Does This Serve Us' represents more than a temporal milestone; it signifies a fundamental shift in perspective that may well shape the decisions and designs that inform our future.