It’s not uncommon for people to try and guess what society will look like 100 years into the future. Well, that’s what a newspaper did back in the 1920s. But how accurate were those guesses? And what does that mean for what we imagine the world will look like 100 years from now?
Cars, Space, and Age
One of the predictions was “Motorcars are going to increase and multiply indefinitely. Speedways through the heart of town.” We definitely have to give them that one as a win. Then, there was “People will be flying around and exploring space.” We’ll count that as partly correct. It’s true in the broad scheme of things, but it’s certainly not accurate for the average person. There was also the idea that people would live to be “at least 100” and that a 75-year-old would be a “comparatively young man.” Unfortunately, they have to take the loss on that one, but that’s definitely in our predictions for the future.
Giving Movies Too Much Credit
Here’s where it gets a bit funky. One prediction was that photos and videos would be “so nearly like the living person or the existing object pictured that you will be unable to determine whether they are pictures or the real thing.” Well, we do have AI images, but they seemed to have been talking more about a simulation experience. Another idea was, “With the use of the universal language of motion pictures the true meaning of the brotherhood of man will have been established throughout the Earth.” Unfortunately, this didn’t happen.
What’s on your Bingo card for 2124?