We are discovering that life in the 21st century is nothing we imagined it would be. We find ourselves bombarded with information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 356 days a year. The onslaught is relentless. We have less time to absorb, less time to reflect and as a result, less time to make measured or informed decisions.

We are discovering that life in the 21st century is nothing we imagined it would be. We find ourselves bombarded with information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 356 days a year. The onslaught is relentless. We have less time to absorb, less time to reflect and as a result, less time to make measured or informed decisions. As a matter of survival, not choice, we edit the information flung at us, and discard the information that is not immediately within our immediate area of interest. The only problem is that the information we edit out (and don't believe is relevant), is becoming increasingly interconnected, so we inadvertently begin to place blinkers on our perspectives. As a result, our social interaction is affected, the generation gap widens and we start to miss out on crucial business opportunities. Too much information is becoming a problem. Here is an opportunity to hit the pause button, and reflect on the world we live in. The Flux Trend Review is based on the editor's Flux trend review conference. Contributors include thought leaders from a wide range of industries such as Ferial Haffajee, Justice Malala, Toby Shapshak, Edwin de Lange, Andrea Bergener, Chris Maroleng and others. Each contribution will reveal invaluable insights into the way we work, live, communicate and interact with each other. The Flux Trend Review will be essential reading for anyone actively involved in trend analysis and forecasting, business and political observers, analysts, or any readers trying to take stock of the world around them, and make sense of the chaos of 21st century living.