Connecting Topics to Create Futures
Each future has a unique aspect that could be its own world, but a lot of the ideas and worlds have similarities and connections that can make a broader future. The more vast and unique each world is the more analysis that can be completed. By making connections in trends and situations 4 main worlds were created.
The Connections
One of the worlds called “The Destruction of Natural Resources“, was created by combining the concept of:
- Lab-grown food
- Garbage killing our fish
- Running out of water.
The second world created is “A World of Company Towns“. This future was the outcome of combining topics that were not previously discussed. This includes:
- Overpopulation
- Colonizing harsh environments.
The third future is called “A World of Biological Technologies“. This world was developed based on the advancing technologies and possible side effects including:
- DNA Splicing
- Digital Control/ always being watched
- Hierarchy of social ‘normalness’
- Augmented reality and neuro link technology
The last future called “A Wall-E World” was based on these concepts:
- Garbage destroying planet
- Increased remote connections
A Deeper Dive
After creating an initial brainstorm, a mind map approach was taken to expand on connections and ideas. it was created during a Microsoft meeting where we built off four main topics. We heavily discussed side effects (good and bad) that could come from the trends provided by the Canadian Government. This was created by using our imagination and developing on current issues we see online or in our own lives, everyone participated equally and the reasoning behind each idea was discussed. During the discussions, we attempted to connect issues with other topics to further develop our thoughts on the scenarios and determine if there were any repeating variables. These connections include real-life similarities, possible health issues, and impacts on these futures. The mind map of the original process can be seen below.
A few examples within the mind map are as follows:
Asocial Society may lead to:
- an attention span decreasing, needs to be constantly entertained, impacts on long road trips/vacations/raising children
- medical issues such as eye problems, memory problems, higher stress/anxiety levels
- less attention to surroundings increased texting and driving, and possible higher unresolved crime
- targeted advertising
Future work may lead to:
- working online, people would rather not return
- job opportunities
- grocery shopping online, current stores turn into housing
Remote health tracking may lead to:
- invasion of privacy
- government taking advantage to cut health care costs, private companies raising costs
- fears of constantly being watched results in hesitation from fear of messing up and consequences, impacts ones ability to properly do their job
