JOHAN STEYN: Hey dad, 2050 isn’t the paradise you imagined (part 2: Dystopia)
The second of a two-part series anticipates how badly things can go wrong
Author’s note: In this two-part series, I imagine a letter my son would write to me in the year 2050. The smart technology era brings with it tremendous promise for a better life on earth, but there are also dire warnings that it could affect humanity with tragedy unimagined. In last week’s article, I imagined that technological change would have resulted in a utopian world. This week’s article is based on the converse conclusion.
Hey dad, it saddens me to say that I am glad you are not with us anymore. I celebrated my 36th birthday this week. You were always going on about the future of technology and how society should take it seriously. Despite the fact that you and countless others worked hard to sound a clarion call, warning us about the dangers of technological advancements, I am sad to say that we now live in a terrible and unimaginable world...
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