In the wake of scientific innovation, corporate mega-mergers and medical miracles, new technology runs rampant. Authors such as Ray Bradbury, Cory Doctorow or George Orwell, whose writing packed so much possibility of “coming true” with their eerily accurate imagery would be hard-pressed not to say, “I told you so!”
The technological gadgets and “must-haves” of today that will fill the landfills of tomorrow seem to be the ideas, concepts and thematic elements of the science fiction and fantasy writing of yesterday. You can’t help but think that Big Brother is watching every time you step in front of the latest 54-inch Plasma screen. Hell, they’re technically there every time you Google something.
The reason this particular idea has been circumnavigating my brain this past week is because I found myself watching TV on the computer, while creeping Facebook on my BlackBerry all while in the vicinity of hundreds of other people at the Memorial Union that appeared to be doing the same thing. I became bothered by the idea that we as a society have become so robotic and out of touch with our natural instincts.
Even the Internet, a concept that should make no sense at all, has become the norm under which we conduct business, inform the masses, socialize and educate our youth. It makes the “absurd” seem normal, and the “crazy” behind the vision of the aforementioned writers more like foresight. This new “social media” offers a medium of communication that has never been before made us so available. We are no longer a society of content consumers; we are quickly becoming content producers. Even news organizations consider Twitter a reliable source and are quick to throw in celebrity “tweets” disguised as actual reporting. The craziest part of social media is the sheer magnitude of how many people really do use these sites. Television and radio took years and years to reach 50 million viewers and social networks like Facebook and Twitter have the capability of adding that many users within a quarter of that time.
History has unfolded with a big homage to the characters and ideas of stories such as “Brave New World” (1932), “Fahrenheit 451” (1953) and “1984” (1949). Advances in science have led to new reproductive technologies that are literally the figments of Aldous Huxley’s imagination. The corporate giants of today have taken on a life of their own and are becoming endearing, if not the inevitable ones who are providing a glimpse of what is still in store. The 24/7 media bombardment and consumer propaganda delivered to us in HD, tweeted, posted, blogged or downloaded has ultimately replaced the annoyance of a little newspaper ink on the fingers and is a staggering tribute to the talking heads in “Fahrenheit 451.”
Who is to say that all of this technological progress is positive or negative? It is indisputable that as a society we have seen results to the effects of both outcomes. It is uncertain whether our future holds a post-apocalyptic war zone, ridden with nuclear fallout, or a new colony on a planet with massive, witty, athletic dreadlock-donning blue beings who can overcome evil by simply coming together and puttin’ out some good vibes.
All I can say is, as we have seen with the release of somewhat otherworldly products, from the Android to the iPad, or for that matter, the microwave; do either one of those other situations really seem that implausible?
Send Ben your predictions for the implausible future at ben.karris@asu.edu
