All of us alive today perÂceive recent hisÂtoÂry as a series of decades. There exists, as far as we know, no qualÂiÂty of realÂiÂty dicÂtatÂing that everyÂthing must recÂogÂnizÂably change every ten years. But throughÂout the 21st cenÂtuÂry, it seems to have been thus: even if we weren’t alive at the time, we can tell at a glance the culÂturÂal artiÂfacts of the nineÂteen-thirÂties from the nineÂteen-forÂties, for examÂple, or those of the nineÂteen-eightÂies from the nineÂteen-nineties. Each decade has its own disÂtinct fashÂions, which arose from its disÂtinct worldÂview; that worldÂview arose from a vision of the future; and that vision of the future arose from changes in techÂnolÂoÂgy.
Back in the nineÂteen-tens, says hisÂtoÂry YoutuÂber HochelaÂga in the video above, “the invenÂtion of the first airÂplane opened masÂsive potenÂtial in transÂportaÂtion, and sparked the imagÂiÂnaÂtion of the pubÂlic.” The develÂopÂment of aviÂaÂtion encourÂaged preÂdicÂtions that one day “the world would go airÂborne; peoÂple would take to the skies in their very own perÂsonÂal airÂships and glidÂers.” PopÂuÂlar artists dreamed of a kind of “steamÂpunk genre: a future vision and aesÂthetÂic, but stuck in vicÂtoÂriÂan techÂnoloÂgies like steam powÂer and indusÂtriÂal machinÂery, as well as gogÂgles and top hats.” By the twenÂties, this optiÂmistic vision would be disÂplaced by darkÂer but more stylÂish ones, such as the Art-Deco dystopia of Fritz Lang’s MetropÂoÂlis.
It was the nineÂteen-fifties, specifÂiÂcalÂly the triÂumphant and abunÂdant AmerÂiÂcan nineÂteen-fifties, that introÂduced the idea that “the future will be one of conÂveÂnience and luxÂuÂry.” As the Space Race proÂgressed, this notionÂal world of picÂture-phones and flyÂing cars evolved into the one of interÂstelÂlar freeÂways, robot maids, and GooÂgie archiÂtecÂture exemÂpliÂfied by The JetÂsons. But as far as perÂsonÂal techÂnolÂoÂgy was conÂcerned, the real world had seen nothÂing yet. The rapid popÂuÂlarÂizaÂtion of the perÂsonÂal comÂputÂer in the eightÂies brought with it a vast expanÂsion of ideas of what comÂputÂers could do. AccordÂing to the TerÂmiÂnaÂtor films, we were supÂposed to have an artiÂfiÂcialÂly intelÂliÂgent defense netÂwork that attained self-awareÂness by 1997 — though our havÂing blown past the deadÂline is probÂaÂbly for the best.
Here in the twenÂty-first cenÂtuÂry — an imposÂsiÂbly disÂtant future in most of the decades disÂcussed here — very few eleÂments of these futures have been fulÂly realÂized. For that matÂter, few of the techÂnoloÂgies we actuÂalÂly do use in our everyÂday lives were accuÂrateÂly preÂdictÂed in the twenÂtiÂeth cenÂtuÂry. (ImagÂine how social media would have looked on a colÂor postÂcard from 1915.) “Each present moment imagÂines a future with themÂselves clearÂly in it, takÂing advanÂtage of the newest techÂnolÂoÂgy of the day to its furÂthest limÂits,” says HochelaÂga. In othÂer words, each of these decades regards the future as an extreme verÂsion of itself. In this view, how many of us today think of the future as dull, grim, and even nonexÂisÂtent tells us nothÂing about what will actuÂalÂly hapÂpen in decades ahead. It does, howÂevÂer, tell us a great deal about the twenÂty-twenÂties.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
How French Artists in 1899 EnviÂsioned Life in the Year 2000: DrawÂing the Future
In 1900, Ladies’ Home JourÂnal PubÂlishÂes 28 PreÂdicÂtions for the Year 2000
1930s FashÂion DesignÂers PreÂdict How PeoÂple Would Dress in the Year 2000
Arthur C. Clarke PreÂdicts the Future in 1964 … and Kind of Nails It
WalÂter Cronkite ImagÂines the Home of the 21st CenÂtuÂry … Back in 1967
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
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