🔬 2023 trends predicted by experts a hundred years ago.
From science to beauty, life could look drastically different yet underwhelming in 100 years.
As we wrap up the first month of 2023, are we starting to see signs of predicted trends actually happening? It’s quiet interesting to look back to 100 years from now, both forward and backwards, and seeing how the trends evolve.
Which trends would actually prevail, and which still seem impossible even 100 years after the predictions were made? And most importantly, what can we do now in 2023, to live in the moment while still staying expectant of these life-changing trends?
100 years back
Paul Fairie, researcher at the University of Calgary, has compiled newspaper clippings of various experts' 2023 forecasts dated back in 1923. In his viral Twitter thread, he laid down 17 of those predictions, including:
4-hour work days. Electrical expert, Dr. Charles P. Stein-Metz believed that people will not work more than 4 hours a day, especially in the electricity field.
Radio as gasoline replacement. Airplane authority figure, Glenn Curtiss, predicted that radio will act as a motive power for aircrafts in 2023.
Kidney cosies. People will wear ‘kidney cosies’ to protect their kidneys on chilly days, the same way a teapot is kept warm by a ‘tea cosy’.
No more newspapers. Experts predicted that in 2023, we will no longer be getting our news by reading newspapers, but rather listening to the news in other forms.
Wireless wonders with telepathy. Professor A.M. Low forecasted that mental telepathy will exist in embryo, forming a useful method of communication.
Find the rest of the excerpts in the complete Twitter thread here.
90 years forward
In 2012, the BBC News asked their readers for predictions of what life would be like in 100 years time. They also brought futurologists Ian Pearson and Patrick Tucker to comment on the 2112 visions, such as:
We will be able to control the weather
Pearson: We will probably have technology to be able to control weather when we need to. It won't necessarily be cheap enough to use routinely.
Tucker: A majority of scientists in the US already support a federal program to explore methods for engineering the Earth's climate.
One single worldwide currency
Pearson: Very plausible; there will be a few regional currencies by the middle of the century and worldwide acceptance of one global electronic currency.
Tucker: The trend on this is actually more in the opposite direction. There will be many more types of currency and exchange, not fewer.
Nanorobots will flow around our body
Pearson: Good chance. Right now, medical nanorobots exist only in theory and nanotechnology is mostly a materials science. But, it's a rapidly growing field.
Tucker: Likelihood: 7/10.
Only three languages remained in the world — English, Spanish, Mandarin
Pearson: Likelihood 8/10. Minor languages are dying at a huge rate already, and most educated people speak at least one of the three.
Tucker: N/A.
Space elevators for cheap and easy space travel
Pearson: First space elevators will certainly be around, but I doubt the costs will be low enough for most people to try.
Tucker: N/A.
Curious as to which other trends people submitted? Dig more in the BBC piece here.
Making the most of now
Reading these predictions can get very overwhelming. It could cause us to feel pessimistic because it seems that predictions from 100 years ago are not coming true, but also too hopeful for the 2112 forecasts to come true.
Right now in 2023, as advancements are happening in different fields, what we can do personally to not let these forecasts distract (instead of motivate) us, is to:
Slow Down
Slowing down may seem counterintuitive, but it’s actually productive. You would be able to notice more meaningful things as you pay deeper attention to your surroundings. See our last Monday Mavens edition to learn more.
Structure Your Free Time
Researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi deemed Sunday at noon as the “unhappiest hour in America” as people are least productive during this time. To make your free time fulfilling, structure it to give you a direction and a purpose.
Keep A Time Diary (To See What You’re Doing Wrong)
It allows you to see patterns and trends, what activities impact your productivity the most, and see whether how you spend your time matches up with your priorities. You can track the activity, when you start/stop it, and any observations.
Focus on High-Leverage Activities
Every action you take is either high or low leverage. The higher leverage an activity is, the more you’ll get out of a small amount of effort. Make sure to invest your time in the activities that produce the greatest returns on your time.
Learn more ways you can implement to make better use of your time here.
What do you think your life would be like 100 years from now? Would you still be into in the same passions, networking with the same kinds of people?
Regardless of how the world will turn out, make sure to always use your time wisely as to not waste it and regret it later on.
Found anything interesting in this week’s Monday Mavens edition? Feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues to spread the word.
We’ll see you in a nearer future than a century—next Monday!