Students are opting out of virtual universities, a new EU right to repair law requires technology to last for a decade, and the latest 2021 tech trends you need to keep a close eye on.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Wednesday, March 3, and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
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BNN Bloomberg is reporting that some students are opting out of virtual universities to start their own businesses. Youth unemployment sits at nearly 20 per cent in Canada and an increasing number of students are deferring their studies according to data from The University of Toronto and Wilfrid Laurier. For many, the alternative is entrepreneurship. One student ditched his computer science and mathematics degree to start an email marketing company. Another is selling vintage clothing on platforms like Instagram. Experts are unsure if this trend will continue once lockdowns end, but it seems like colleges and universities will have to up their virtual game if they want to keep students engaged. [LinkedIn]
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A new European Union right to repair law requires technology to last for a decade. Consumer electronics from refrigerators, hairdryers, TVs sold in the EU and UK will need to be repairable for up to 10 years. The Independent is reporting that the EU parliament voted for stronger right-to-repair rules to reduce electrical waste. One repair cafe owner says “People want to repair their appliances,” and “When you tell them that there are no spare parts for a device that’s only a couple of years old then they are obviously really frustrated by that.”
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This year has some new tech trends coming in hot. CB Insights released a new report and here’s what you need to watch closely. Crypto is breaking into the mainstream financing with rewards & loyalty programs, and experts say you can expect AI that has empathy and can provision psychedelic medicines to go mainstream this year. Emerging tech in health and self-care will bring spas and hospitals inside homes, digital storefronts will make “window” shopping a lot easier, and AI and other emerging tech will play a huge part in how physical spaces are reimagined and repurposed. What are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments. [LinkedIn]
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That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your mailbox every day. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening!