What is something nobody from 1990 could have predicted about today?

I grew up with technology. I knew this would happen.

Can't say that I knew what would happen with the constitution. Though that had happened with George Orwell's 1984. In 1949. Orwell was too conservative for my tastes.

Satellite communications I knew that would happen. And actually thought man would be on Mars by now. I grew up in the space race.

What no one could predict is how isolated society would become. Not even Orwell could predicted that.

Asimov came close with his robot series. Yet only on one planet by the name of Aurora.

That wasn't Earth however. Earth you couldn't get away from anyone. The total opposite of today. Few even physically talk to each other today. Much less do anything with strangers.

Aurora was far worse though. Nobody around for miles.

It's so sad that we are becoming like Aurora day by day.

When was the last time you touched a stranger? It used to be a daily thing...

Touches shoulder: Sir, could you show me ... whatever?

When was the last time anyone has shook hands with a stranger? It was a daily thing for me growing up. Like saying hello. Which is hardly said today.

Covid though was predicted many times. Even before the 1990s.

Someone said tribalism. I grew up in the 1960s. I knew that could happen again and again and again. It's a direct result of not touching strangers and asking.

Mankind is social. You eliminate touching, you create tribes instead.

Trump

Smartphones .. they are basically a hand held super computer and international communication device and instant information and database access plus a worldwide map 🙂 + camera/video capabilities + voice recording .. calendar and email and whatever else 🙂 tv and video streaming

A full time job being a social media influencer

1. The removal of the Berlin wall.
2. Instantaneous global interconnectivity accessible to anyone with access to a modern digital communication device.

I'll add as I think of them.

That I’d still be alive.

Barrel jeans

Cellphone that became handheld computers

I'd say maybe the prevalence of school shootings in America, or how politicians have are actively refusing to do anything about it

The dumbing down of society. The Internet was supposed to make us smarter by making information more accessible; not overwhelm us with misinformation and disinformation while shortening our attention span to 144 characters.

How the Internet has changed everything. Just think how AI will change everything. If you want to see if the Internet was not there well it was just not accessible to everyone.

Maybe that video call would be mobile.
Or that you could get things delivered so quickly. Donald Trump as president. Who knows so many things. Maybe that Tv would become streaming and you could watch it anywhere.

That our Environment will be this degraded in this short period of time.

The airfryer.

The return and popularity of Wallace and Gromit.

That Donald Trump would be president.

The Gender issue

AI is definitely one.

That SW would exist.

The end of 1-900 numbers

Recent capabilities of deep learning generative AI.

Maybe fitting cell phones in your pocket.

A nonsense internet joke about a shiba inu picture has resulted in an insane billionaire with a cadre of monarchist 20 year olds destroying multiple government ministries under President Donald Trump.

We would have electric cars

That the US would threaten Canada's sovereignty.

People taking clearly marked parody as factual news. Nazis proudly going public about their ideals. Millions of people advocating for genital inspections of children.

Pagers being obselete

How shitty things have gotten

F***ing robot.

AI

Rabid tribalism