What do you think the future will be like in 20 years?
Its hard to argue that the last 20 years haven't been monumental in improving how people communicate, do business, and share ideas. Cell phones allow people to talk wherever they are, the Internet allows almost anyone full access to the known knowledge and is one of the greatest human inventions, and DVRs allow us to record thousands of hours of video for instant viewing. But do you think there will be any other major innovations in the next 2 decades?
Part of the reason I ask, is because I'm still a little in shock at everything thats changed. My friends and family frequently tell me that I was born in the wrong decade; That I should have been born in the 70s instead of the 90s. I often find myself yearning for a simpler time, where instant gratification isn't expected or possible. So called "Millenials" have grown up with the worlds knowledge at their fingertips, but i'm not sure they are ready for the kind of responsibility that brings, and i'm not sure baby boomers understand just how different life will be for us when we hit middle age.
Anyway, a few things I see changing by the time i'm 40...
-Cable TV will be essentially dead, replaced by ala carte streaming online services. Gone will be the days of paying for hundreds of channels you never watch, and greedy cable companies and sky high cable bills.
- Prefabricated housing will become more popular in response to the urban gentrification thats happening now. Architects like prefab housing because it allows cheap, more environmentally friendly, modular housing units to be placed almost anywhere.
-There will be a better healthcare structure in the US. People will look back the the era of the late 2000s and see it as a time of social change.
-Drones will become a popular tool in the search for criminals and will patrol urban neighborhoods
-The Internet will be a much less free place, with companies having full control over bandwidth and all activities strictly monitored. Piracy will have a standard punishment system, with several infractions leading to jail time. I'll talk to my kids about the "Wild West" era of the early 2000s.
-Kids won't hardly spend any time outside, it will be even worse than today
-Bio-electric Implants will finally become a reality, although they will be expensive, allowing us to use the Internet, and communicate freely anywhere. Imagine google glass, but the size of a contact lens. Unfortunately everyone will also have a chip ID tag at birth, like dogs are now.
So what are your ideas for the future?