The day is finally upon us, that halcyon time where ‘Back To The Future’ fans will appear from all sectors to discuss hoverboards, Leah Thompson’s crush on her fictional kid, and how realistic all those predictions of the future were. Of all these discussions, the most fascinating is it the one that presumes that somehow the movie (or, more accurately, the sequel) actually predicted realistic events that would occur 30 years hence. While it’s always fun to discuss the effects of pop culture on the changing times, I can’t consider Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis et al to be modern Nostradamuses, so much as clever guys who got a couple of things right (usually on the form of jokes) leading us to today’s prognosticating query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced “jig-uh-whats”) loves that some of these things seem to be at least partially accurate, but also thinks that human brains can find patterns in even the most unlikely places, asking: Do you find it fascinating or foolish to discuss pop culture predicting the future?
3 Comments
I dont think its foolish at all. If not outright predicting, pop culture has shaped the future by presenting inspirational things to people who then later have become engineers, scientists, designers etc. and bring that inspiration available to everyone. See: http://www.weaponreplica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/STAR-TREK-Tek-Classic-Phaser-Diamond-Select.jpg
http://izitech.ma/assets/lekki-4.jpg
I think it’s fascinating to look at how some classic sci-fi influenced the people who created modern technology.
There’s that Star Trek documentary that looks at the technology of Trek and how you can see it in today’s gizmos.
It’s also fun to look at the Bruce Sterling and William Gibson novels and compare their 20+ year old writings against the hot toys coming out at Christmas.
(ex: when Microsoft showed off their Augmented Reality glasses for X-Box, I shouted “Virtual Light! Virtual Light!” for a good solid minute and pondered the dystopian possibilities for a good while longer)
I just find it a fun theoretical discussion much like asking what superpowers people wish they had and why or pondering these MS-QOTD questions. I don’t take it too seriously, but it is fun to talk about.
But I do enjoy finding parallels between fictional futures and advances in technology, like how the communicators of the original Star Trek are much like our own cellphones or how viewscreen communications from various sci-fi series has also come to pass.