11 ms·

When they said "the future is here, just not evenly distributed" -- it unfortunately applied to social dystopia, just as well as technical advances. So whateve

When they said "the future is here, just not evenly distributed" -- it unfortunately applied to social dystopia, just as well as technical advances. So whatever culture you are from, give it a decade or two and it will likely catch up with the US over this. To see even further into the future, look at Japan.

curiousfiddler 4y ago
Sure, just to be very clear, I'm not boasting about this. And I do certainly hope that the exact opposite happens as we move forward to the next generation. I'm certainly hopeful.
danenania 4y ago
It's not clear that the US is actually further in the future in this sense than Western/Northern Europe. Demographically speaking, we are behind them and headed in their direction, so it could well be the case that we will follow suit in de-prioritizing economic growth relative to quality of life and social cohesion. If you look at the political leanings of the younger vs. older generations, it seems reasonably likely. Japan is also a complex case. While there are the well-known issues with loneliness, suicide, overwork, etc., it also beats the US in most quality of life metrics. It has very high social trust, low inequality, very low crime, affordable housing, universal healthcare, and so on.
- trieste92 4y ago
  > It has very high social trust, low inequality, very low crime, affordable housing, universal healthcare, and so on. I wonder how long these metrics will last. Social trust is definitely a new one that's been added after mid 2010s
ulchar 4y ago
Even if what you say is true, it's not guaranteed that future societies will forever be in this age of loneliness. Technology has moved fast and there will be growing pains, but I don't see evidence that we are incapable of changing culturally. These conversations are happening around the world, many people are unhappy living their lives in technological bubbles and many want things to change.
- dorchadas 4y ago
  I do, and I think Neil Postman called it out even in 1992. We've surrendered our culture to technology, and it's going to be dammed hard getting it back. Especially once LLM's can be trained to manipulate you at the deepest psychological levels. We're in for a bumpy ride, and I don't see any way of escaping it.
uoaei 4y ago
I heard it said once that the future will arrive at the same time for everyone, but the effects will be unevenly distributed. For the simple fact that 1) some countries are more powerful than others and 2) "effects" to one country can be merely "externalities" to another.

curiousfiddler 4y ago

Sure, just to be very clear, I'm not boasting about this. And I do certainly hope that the exact opposite happens as we move forward to the next generation. I'm certainly hopeful.

danenania 4y ago

It's not clear that the US is actually further in the future in this sense than Western/Northern Europe. Demographically speaking, we are behind them and headed in their direction, so it could well be the case that we will follow suit in de-prioritizing economic growth relative to quality of life and social cohesion. If you look at the political leanings of the younger vs. older generations, it seems reasonably likely. Japan is also a complex case. While there are the well-known issues with loneliness, suicide, overwork, etc., it also beats the US in most quality of life metrics. It has very high social trust, low inequality, very low crime, affordable housing, universal healthcare, and so on.

trieste92 4y ago
> It has very high social trust, low inequality, very low crime, affordable housing, universal healthcare, and so on. I wonder how long these metrics will last. Social trust is definitely a new one that's been added after mid 2010s

ulchar 4y ago

Even if what you say is true, it's not guaranteed that future societies will forever be in this age of loneliness. Technology has moved fast and there will be growing pains, but I don't see evidence that we are incapable of changing culturally. These conversations are happening around the world, many people are unhappy living their lives in technological bubbles and many want things to change.

dorchadas 4y ago
I do, and I think Neil Postman called it out even in 1992. We've surrendered our culture to technology, and it's going to be dammed hard getting it back. Especially once LLM's can be trained to manipulate you at the deepest psychological levels. We're in for a bumpy ride, and I don't see any way of escaping it.

uoaei 4y ago

I heard it said once that the future will arrive at the same time for everyone, but the effects will be unevenly distributed. For the simple fact that 1) some countries are more powerful than others and 2) "effects" to one country can be merely "externalities" to another.