Key Trends of Social Development That Determine Our Life

From the Daily Press' Point of View, Republic of Srpska and the Region

Abstract

Present events of great significance can be a hint of the future trends, which will determine the future course of our lives. This paper includes ten development trends which started in the present and will shape our society in the future. The conclusion was drawn by analyzing the headlines of daily press, published in Republic of Srpska and the region, in the period of four months (March-July 2019).

Analyzing the contents of daily newspapers, we could see that certain topics are recurring, that they are of greater importance for the society in which we live. We understand that these topics represent trends that will dominate our future living conditions. In doing so, the principal thesis of this paper is that the future is not created suddenly, does not arise from nowhere, but is the result of the present trends.

Specified trends are: emigration of work force and population in the countries of western Europe; an increase immigrant population from Middle Eastern countries; alienation, inefficiency and overcrowding of public sector; poor law enforcement and widespread corruption; climate changes and natural disasters; changes in educational system; increase in national debt and stagnation of life standard; increase in euroscepticism; constant regional instability and growth of Chinese influence on the region. These ten issues will have serious implications on the life and business of our citizens in the future period.

Some of these trends are current at the moment, they are expected to be based on analyzes and assessments of impact retention over a longer period, others are new and are expected to strengthen in the future. Our estimates should be useful for business decision-makers and investors but also for all citizens who want to enter the future with less uncertainty and risk.

The hypothesis of this research is based on the thesis that careful analysis of current events can provide a realistic basis for projecting the future. The daily press is the prime written testimony of trends in a society. Analyzing the contents of the headlines in press over the long term can predict future trends. Individual headlines in the daily press provided a structural framework that was supplemented by additional information gathered from the media and through discussions with groups or individuals from the region. Generalizing individual information from the press was necessary to define the most important trends. The synthesis of the content analysis performed previously is a logical methodological follow-up in this research.

On the front pages of all newspapers are, logically, the most important issues which are further discussed in individual articles. That's why the methodological approach of this paper, analysis of the newspapers headlines, is based on real life issues. The limitations of this paper are that the titles cover five to six themes from several dozens included in the newspapers. The volume of the research and the research period are also limiting factors. Regardless of that, we consider that this paper is a useful material for all who want to base their own future business decisions on the less uncertain grounds.