The future has become the present. Is it what you expected?

[HDQQ]

The future as imagined in the 1930's often included small private aircraft replacing cars. That might have happened for a few well-off people or out-and-out flying enthusiasts, but not for anyone else.

In the 1950's nuclear was the big thing - it was going to bring limitless cheap electricity to everyone.

In the 1970's the coming population explosion was going to bring an end to civilisation in Britain . . . unless the next Ice Age did the job first.

One thing I used to think was that more new towns and cities would be built.

Another thing was that I always imagined that society would become more socialist.  As a leftie that wasn't totally unappealing to me but there was the lunatic fringe in the unions and politics that were just plain nasty.  This mirrors what is now happening with right-wing populism.

[patman post]

As I'm still in my thirties, now is the now I've just grown into, and "the future" is still some time off. But from time to time I've immersed myself in the works of futurologists/futurists like Alvin Toffler, Marshall McLuhan and (on a thinking entertainment level) Gene Roddenberry and Arthur C Clarke — many of their predictions/warnings/writings appear to be relevant in modern life. Of course, there are many others like David Attenborough, who through explaining evolution, formed my views on the present and expected developments...

[johnofgwent]

Well, back in the days of my early teens in the late 70s I used to read a variety of comics, including the sci-fi comic 2000AD. And back then the year 2000 really did seen like something futuristic in concept.

We were led to believe that by now we'd all be zipping around the solar system, taking holidays in space hotels or on the moon or on mars. On earth we'd have flying cars and intelligent bipedal robots to cater to our every need. Hasn't happened though, has it? We were also led to believe that we'd have ever more leisure time, whilst being ever more better off. If anything, for the struggling millions the reverse has happened.

One thing that was never predicted in the sci fi books and comics of the day, though, was the internet and everything associated with it.

Just goes to show that the future is often going to prove very different from what we imagine, and perhaps disappointingly so. Is the world of today what you expected it to be 40 or 50 years ago?

I certainly remember in the late 70s seeing the USSR as something monolithic and eternal. Few saw it's coming demise, certainly not 2000AD which imagined late 21st century Soviet colonies on the moon.

Politically and socially too, we just never know what's around the corner. And I guess much of what might have been predicted 40 years ago hasn't happened, whilst many unexpected things have.

Whatever we imagine the future to be today, chances are it will turn out very differently when it arrives.

I've said this elsewhere. A few years ago, as i drove home from work in a 45 minute commute, i was stunned to hear Radio 4 discussing a sort of a time capsule story. It seems at the height of his appearance commentating on the Apollo-Soyuz linkup that tested the docking hatches and masde way for skylab and the iSS, James Burke of Tomorrow's World and BBC Space news fame was asked to comment, back then, on what life in the early 21st century would be like.

He himself admits he got a lot wrong. But he did make much of the probable expansion of computers and computer databases and cctv  to empower state surveillance of the population, and by god he go t that right didn't he ...

[papasmurf]

The US has been on a one way mission ever since WW2, when they worked out war was big business and creates debt mountains, give them their due, they have had a good run at it. It just shows how politics is such a messy business. Even one of their own Presidents cryptically warned that the greatest threat to the US, was the US.

His speech is well worth a read:-

https://www.militaryindustrialcomplex.com/military-industrial-complex-speech.asp

[Sheepy]

The US has been on a one way mission ever since WW2, when they worked out war was big business and creates debt mountains, give them their due, they have had a good run at it. It just shows how politics is such a messy business. Even one of their own Presidents cryptically warned that the greatest threat to the US, was the US.

[papasmurf]

I always thought the USA was going to go tits up at some stage, it looks as if Trump is speeding the process up.
I always thought globalization and millions of people being able to get anywhere in the world in hours was going to end in tears, with a nasty disease being able to cross  the World in hours.  That looks partially right.

[Sheepy]

Well that was thought provoking, the internet is not completely wasted, or indeed lost on some, visions are not what they were for sure.

[srb7677]

Well, back in the days of my early teens in the late 70s I used to read a variety of comics, including the sci-fi comic 2000AD. And back then the year 2000 really did seen like something futuristic in concept.

We were led to believe that by now we'd all be zipping around the solar system, taking holidays in space hotels or on the moon or on mars. On earth we'd have flying cars and intelligent bipedal robots to cater to our every need. Hasn't happened though, has it? We were also led to believe that we'd have ever more leisure time, whilst being ever more better off. If anything, for the struggling millions the reverse has happened.

One thing that was never predicted in the sci fi books and comics of the day, though, was the internet and everything associated with it.

Just goes to show that the future is often going to prove very different from what we imagine, and perhaps disappointingly so. Is the world of today what you expected it to be 40 or 50 years ago?

I certainly remember in the late 70s seeing the USSR as something monolithic and eternal. Few saw it's coming demise, certainly not 2000AD which imagined late 21st century Soviet colonies on the moon.

Politically and socially too, we just never know what's around the corner. And I guess much of what might have been predicted 40 years ago hasn't happened, whilst many unexpected things have.

Whatever we imagine the future to be today, chances are it will turn out very differently when it arrives.