Society has hit a point of technologic progress that can only be defined as “meteoric.” It seems there has been more change in society in the past 20 years than there was in the 1400 years between the rise and the fall of the Roman Empire. With the rise of technology, will there come a fall? If so, will that fall be too great for society to handle? It seems we have all been blindsided at the very rate of growth of technology, and even as we discuss the dangers we are left wondering if it is even something to be worried about.
Even as one inventor exalts his next step, two other inventors rise up with their own ideas building upon and growing his original idea. This begs the question is this growth a product of global interconnectedness, or rather of technologic developments stacking, with developments being utilized used as paths to new developments? Ideas are being shared at record rates, and boundaries in the intellectual world are broken down constantly and consistently. It seems our growth is limitless.
While, in the 60s, if you asked anyone what the future would look like they would have confidently described flying cars and robot butlers, in modern times you would be challenged to find a single consistent description of what the future will hold. With a more and more diverse set of perspectives contributing to society's collective view of the future, it becomes garbled.
Many still say we will all have flying cars. Others say we will ride around in giant quadcopters. There may no longer be a need for the individual to own a form of transportation as the norm will be to rent one out, have it drive itself to our door, take us out, drive us home and then park quietly back in a garage somewhere. There are many questions to be asked when looking forward towards the future, and even more answers available.
On one hand, it is now easier than ever to maintain a connection with loved ones around the world, but on the other hand we struggle to maintain the relationships in front of us as we are distracted by the allure of infinite sources of entertainment available. Are we approaching a point where our technology separates us more than it pulls us together? For example, look at Japan, arguably the flashing neon sign representation of technological progress with an aging economy, where one in four people are older than 65. Are we slowly losing our social life with each notification ping.
On a personal level, I believe in the unstoppable power of human adaptability and I believe we can change, but I wonder where this path towards this change lies. The first step to fixing any problem lies in the diagnosis but I do not feel comfortable taking the root blindly blaming technology for what can also be defined as a human problem. We pick to stay in and watch a movie, or to lock the door and play video games, or to text when surrounded by others, so we must choose to put down our phones, look up and resume the conversation.
