20210626 : Next Gen

I was chatting this morning with my friend about the world of no mobiles and how its unthinkable now.

It got me thinking a bit further on the topic...

I guess every generation has seen this happen. I'm sure we've had some version of a conversation where someone has told us what all they could buy with 4 annas. And i suppose at some point we've told some device attached kid on how we didnt have any of it. Even TVs.

So, it got me wondering, are the next generation better off or worse off?

I guess everyone has adapted/ adjusted to the changing world and done ok.

However, I can't help but think of the rate of change. When the steam engine or the light bulb was invented, it was a new world. But i guess it lasted a century so a few generations to get adjusted to it before the next big thing hit them.

The amount of world impacting things that we have created in the last 20 odd years, mobiles, tablets, email communication, chats, online everything, streaming on demand anything, medical advances, genetic engineering, etc... and these are just things I know and can think of...

I guess our generation is sitting on a unique position. Of creating so much so quickly and passing it off to the next gen to deal with the consequences. Not to mention the planet in general.

Because we created all of it, we have an idea what it is and what it does. We have the luxury of having a reference world without it. But its not the same with next generation. We know a mobile or a tablet is a device, but for kids seeing it from the day they are born, its an emotional support. Same for most other things...

Also, there only a few things I can understand. Most others, like genetic engineering, which is fast becoming a reality. Forget understanding it, I dont even know the extent of what all is happening in that field. But someone like me can use it readily. A consumer. Most other technologies, i know what it is, how it works, what it can do, etc.. so I can exercise caution and control as needed.

However when the next generation accesses these advances, they are consumers for every one of them. Will they have a chance of winning the psychological battle against, ex, bots or AI? No chance...

I have the ability to understand a few things because of the field i worked in. So in a way, its a advantage. An uneven playing field. The ones who know and everyone else. 

The ones who know , will keep shrinking as the developments happen. Try understanding and repairing a self driving car, which we may own in not so distant a future.. in fact we wont even know how to call someone if needed, as it will be calling for tune ups itself.

What will the society be like. As every field will have Insiders and outsiders (consumers)?

And these are both people, with deep AI, the insiders dont even have to be people. Everybody is an outsider and a consumer of sorts.

This will not be in the distant future, we (if things go normally), will see all this in 1 or 2 generations.

I dont think we will yet see a "Judgement Day" stuff yet. But Brace Yourselves...