Will the world change as quickly for the next generation?
Asked by
syz (
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September 28th, 2011
My grandmother remembered plowing the fields with the family mule, and when they bought their very first automobile.
My mother watched the first man to step foot on the moon on her black and white television.
I remember the first ridiculously heavy cellular phones, and my computer geek husband explaining that one day, the internet would link people all over the world.
I see 3 year olds ordering aps on iPhones, watching 3D tv, and using computers before they can walk. Will they see the same massive leaps in science that previous generations saw? What do you think the next major shift in technology/society will be?
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10 Answers
What the next major shift will be: no friggin’ idea.
When it will be: sooner than the last one, which came sooner than the one before, which came sooner than the one before…
@wundayatta Ah, but what will that mean for the average person? How do you think it will change how they live?
I think there will be changes in the way we live because of climate change: more air conditioning, greater attention to conservation. Transportation will be less dependent on fossil fuel. I’m hopeful that governments will become more international; it’ll more of a ‘one world’ approach. I know there are many technological advancements of which I know nothing, but those will change how we live. I suspect no one will cook anymore All of this will occur unless we destroy ourselves and our planet first, which is also possible.
I watched Blade Runner the other day… Check the time stamp date… It’s funny. We should have flying cars in a few more years.
I’m shocked – but maybe I shouldn’t be, given the entertainment available – that you know 3-year-olds who aren’t walking yet.
But I think the rate of change is going to continue to accelerate for awhile.
I’m not that old, but I remember going to the library and using a card catalog to find an answer to a question. My youngest siblings have always had internet access.
I think technological advances will continue to accelerate.
Not sure what the next big thing will be. Computers keep getting smaller and more powerful and people are more interconnected than ever.
@syz Average person? Faster and faster computers. Need for more knowledge workers. Automation of more and more things. Greater wealth. Greater access to technology in all kinds of forms. Cars that drive themselves. Computers you talk to. Houses that build themselves. Smart matter. Nanotechnology. Better health. Instant access to more and more information. More leisure time, should people so desire (they won’t, but it’ll be there).
I don’t even know because there will be technologies I have no idea exist and they will have a huge impact. Social networking technology will take us somewhere, but I don’t know where. Give me a technology and I’ll speculate about where it can take us, and assure you that that future will come two times faster every two years we move forward in time.
Possibly, but I won’t inflict my pessimism upon you.
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