Think about how you take photos today. You snap a picture on a phone, see it instantly, and share it across the world. Not long ago, a photo meant a heavy camera, rolls of film, a drop-off at a shop, and days of waiting just to see how it turned out.
How did we get from gear in a bag to a smart tool in your pocket? Authors Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler spotted a pattern in their books Abundance and Bold. They call it the 6 Ds. It sounds fancy. The idea is simple. Once you see it, you notice it everywhere, from school apps to games to the tools in your bag.
1. Digitized: Turning things into data
The first step is when a physical object becomes computer code. Photos left film rolls and became digital image files. Paper maps left the glove box and became files on a screen. Once something is data, it can be shared quickly and updated as fast as software improves.
2. Deceptive: The slow start
At first, digital tech improves slowly. Early digital cameras took blurry, grainy shots, so most people ignored them. Doubling a tiny number still leaves you with a small number. This stage tricks you into thinking the new tech is just a weak toy. Quiet improvements keep stacking up behind the scenes.
3. Disruptive: Changing the rules
Those small doublings cross a line. The new tool becomes good enough and cheap enough to replace the old way. Phone cameras took over everyday snapshots. Phone maps replaced paper atlases. Old tools do not vanish overnight, but they lose their place in normal routine.
4. Demonetized: Dropping the cost
As tech gets better, the cost to use it drops close to zero. Developing a roll of film used to cost money for every photo. Now taking and sending a hundred photos costs nothing extra beyond the internet you already have. Long-distance calls used to be expensive. Video calls ride on the Wi-Fi you already pay for.
5. Dematerialized: Vanishing into software
Physical objects disappear into apps. Darkrooms, map cabinets, music racks, and bulky recorders used to fill rooms. Today those tools live together inside one slim phone. The weight goes away. The usefulness keeps growing.
6. Democratized: Available for more people
The last step spreads power wider. Someone your age with a phone can record, edit, and publish a video that used to need a studio. Navigation apps work in new cities for free. Science tools, solar power, and online classes follow the same path as costs drop and access spreads.
Seeing the pattern
Photography walked through every D. GPS followed a similar path. Not every technology hits all six steps in perfect order, but the pattern is a useful lens. It helps you spot what is coming next in school, health, media, and creative tools.
Why does this matter for you? When a new tool sits in the deceptive stage, it looks easy to shrug off. A few years later, that tool is ordinary. If you understand the pattern early, you can build judgment and habits before the shift lands in your backpack.
The 6 Ds build on exponential growth. Once you see both ideas together, the next step is noticing how they show up in real scenes at school, at home, and in the work you might want someday.