What world will your kids live in?

[Bubba]

Many of you may not be thinking about kids yet. But... what will the world be like for them? I read this post by Sharky and it got me thinking....

(This was a special time before the internet kids. Most people were still on dial up and we used to have to pay for music and movies, and it wasn't a digital file. It came in an actual physically packaged format. Crazy times.)

It's crazy how times have changed so quickly. Who here remembers VHS? Who here remembers CD's? Who here remembers buying a game in shop?

What do you think it'll be like in 15-20 years time? Are you scared for your kids or excited?

[noxious.sunshine]

I remember all of that. I still have a small handful of VHS tapes that I should get rid of, but just can't bring myself to.

Going to the video store and renting video games and movies was always a big treat. One time, my mom let me rent like 10 movies and have a movie marathon lol..

Then I got into renting PlayStation or Sega CD consoles for the weekend. My dad finally caved, handed me his credit card, and told me to just go buy one and a couple of games to go with it. hehehe.

We didn't have blockbuster in my hometown. And the video places were the small town type that had tanning beds in them XD

[Iceglow]

I remember VHS, cartridges, Audio Cassette the 3.5 inch floppy and the 5 inch floppy. I remember the BBC computers in school and playing POP! on them. I remember when playmobil, mechano, knex and in the case of my sister and a lot of other girls Sylvanian Families were all cool. I remember a time before we even had 56k and the advent of the public internet. I remember when you weren't punished by your parents by being made to go outside but to get inside and be quiet. I've fast realised that I'm approaching 30 and getting to the point where I can't afford to be childish or stupid about a good deal of things any more.

In terms of when I eventually have kids (got a few years in that window left) I'd like to think I could give them an upbringing which allows them to enjoy the technology of the moment whilst still instilling in them the idea that they ought to 1) get exercise and 2) shouldn't prefer playing indoors on a summers day when the weather is good to going out.

It's going to be a tall order but I've looked back over the latter years of my childhood and the earlier ones and frankly, I know which ones made me a happier person overall.

[Pheesh]

One if my secret fears is honestly being alive to see my children or grand-children living in a truly messed up world. Every time I look at the way the Australian political system and parties are heading I am truly convinced that we're not far removed from a V for Vendetta/1984 situation sometime this century. Adding to that, I know a lot of the time the most ridiculous notions are the ones that are shouted the loudest, so I'm not entirely worried when I see two dozen of the people on my Facebook feed screaming about how they won't eat Vegemite anymore because it is Halal certified, or complaining about Asian migrants who are stealing all of our jobs. I know from just looking around that this small group of people is, for now, just that, a small group. But they're certainly larger than they were last year, and the year before that.

Couple all of that with this article and it all starts to look very bleak. The article talks about how the younger Australian generation is really going to struggle with having less available jobs, less government spending to help create those jobs and a number of other factors.

All that said, anyone who actually knows me will know I am not one to worry about basically any of that stuff. If I can stick my head out of a window and not hear gunshots it means that I'm a lot better off than many people out there. But I do know myself, and when I eventually have kids their problems will become my problems and I can't even imagine having to explain to them how the world is a steaming pile of crap because of something they never had a hand in. So here's hoping that everything goes balls up around 2090, I should be dead or senile by then.

[noxious.sunshine]

Oh. Yeah.

I worry about what kind of world my kid is growing up in. It's sad that the idea of a neighborhood like I grew up in just doesn't seem to exist anymore- the moms all knew each other and you knew where your friends were by where all the bikes are piled up. We could run around on our own without fear of being kidnapped. Hell, even our dogs and cats ran loose. They came and went as they pleased and everyone in the neighborhood knew our animals.

Now? I wouldn't dream of letting my daughter run off on her own like that. I was able to last spring when my dad briefly lived in Tennessee, but the RV park he lived in was totally enclosed, and the people who work there were really good about keeping an eye on things. My sister nearly had a heart attack, but P was totally fine.

[Pumpkin]

I still buy games in shop :<

[Shiny]

The thing that saddens me by lack of film stores is that it inhibits the movies I can see. Rarer or more obscure films that I could otherwise find at a mom and pop VHS store and simply not available on any digital format. I liked that I could discover a film that way just by walking down the aisle. Now the only closest thing to that is Netflix's 'films you may like'.

Anyway, as we move more toward becoming technology dependent I see the world becoming very similar to A.I. where we then become very resentful of the same technology we made. I think ultimately having such a vulnerable thing like technology and nuclear power plants will eventually backfire. We can't rely forever solely on digital.

If I have kids, let's say 11-15 years from now, I am pretty sure in that time there will still be physical books available to read in school. Tablets are still too expensive and money will inevitablely not be spent on education just more wars. I think the kid will grow up to learn about a lot of really horrible things in society like misogyny and racism faster than I did with the help of the Internet. All the more reasons to get some good child blocking software for certain websites.

Also yeah the majority of people I know and even myself still purchase physical video games. If you're a true nerd you like to collect as much as you like to play the vidyas.

[krissy]

[Madame Adequate]

I don't know. If things go badly, they will live in a world ravaged by climate change, where power is limited or rationed, and where the richest in society dominate even more than they already do.

If things go a bit better, it'll be much like the world today, but with better gadgets, a more ubiquitous and powerful Internet, more tools, and hopefully a slightly more equitable social order.

If things go really well, they will live in a totally interconnected world where 3D printers can make anything they desire, whilst their AI assistant guides and advises them, power is essentially limitless, and work is reduced to a few hours per person per week or the work of a small number of expert specialists while automation does the rest.

I actually believe the last one is the most likely, but it hinges on just how bad climate issues are going to get over the next few decades. I'm no doomsayer and I think the worst predictions are overblown, but it's not impossible that things will get really bad.

[Shiny]

I similarly think they will be the generation to experience the devastating consequences of climate change, pollution, and too much dependcy on an eventual collapse in things like electricity, heat, computer storage, that are too vulnerable. These things have already happened or are happening but I feel we have been given a little taste. I felt an earthquake yesterday could have sworn in a place that's not supposed to have them...

But before that happens they'll grow a larger dependcy on technology and more new trout will be created to bring them further away from physical human interaction and physical means of entertainment.

[Spooniest]

If I have any say in the matter at all, I will never have children.

This planet is liable to become uninhabitable soon. It's really questionable to even consider bringing new life into the world at this point, in my opinion.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

If my world takeover plans from middle school are any indication, the world they grow up in will involve a lot of DDR. Also possibly penguin soldiers?

[MissH]

But if you think about it, our parents/grandparents probably find it sad that we no longer use typewriters or write letters to each other, that we don't use record players and there's not much chivalry left in the world. Times change and the next generation will accept their time just the way it is as they have never known any different!

[Mirage]

I hope I won't find it sad that my kids don't use the same tech that I use. I doubt there will be ny shortage on energy, but depending on how the climate develops, food might get pretty expensive. At least the good stuff.