I miss the future. http://amzn.to/2iuS4FV
Book: Who owns the future
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Missing the future we used to imagine
In Who Owns the Future?, Jaron Lanier writes a short, striking sentence. I miss the future. It sounds paradoxical. How can anyone miss something that has not happened yet? Lanier means the optimistic vision of technology that many people held in earlier decades.
In the early days of the internet, many believed technology would spread wealth, knowledge and democracy. Some of that came true. However, Lanier argues that the digital economy also concentrated power and money in a few large platforms. As a result, the bright future many imagined feels distant.
Why missing the future can be useful
Nostalgia for a lost future can be more than sadness. It can motivate action. When we remember what we hoped technology could do, we can ask why it has not happened, and what might change that.
Lanier proposes ideas such as paying people for the data they create. Whether or not one agrees, the point is to imagine alternatives. Therefore, missing the future becomes an invitation to design a better one.
Individuals can apply this too. Think about the future you imagined at twenty. Which parts still matter? For example, a dream of meaningful work or community may still be within reach, even if the path looks different.
Moreover, optimism is a choice, not a forecast. People who believe improvement is possible tend to work towards it.
Of course, realism matters. Not every vision is achievable or wise. Still, losing all hope makes progress less likely.
In the end, Lanier’s line expresses a longing many share. Instead of only mourning the future we lost, we can start building the one we still want.
In addition, talk with younger and older people about the future they imagine. Each generation sees different possibilities. As a result, conversations across ages can revive optimism and spark practical ideas. Moreover, sharing hopes openly often reveals that more people want the same better future than we assume.
