The great Sci-Fi author Isaac Asimov once proposed a future for humanity, set roughly three millennia ahead in time, where humanity had colonised several worlds (this future including a vastly overpopulated earth).
Some different human cultures were envisioned. In some, each individual person never left their habitations, while in others, huge numbers lived in underground domed cities, like hives.
In those cultures where they never left their habitations, the people largely lived alone, and all social intercourse was through 3D VR, computer data screens, and robot workers. Reproduction was strictly controlled, or via artificial insemination in artificial wombs (near cloning).
These dystopian future human cultures were first explored in Caves of Steel (1953), but its the Solarians in The Naked Sun (1956) (who are taught from birth to avoid personal contact, and live on huge estates, either alone or occasionally with their spouses), who best epitomise the societal quirks that Asimov wanted to highlight.
I had cause to think about this recently, as I renegotiated my broadband deal to a better speed at a lower cost .... it occurred to me that I could download films direct to TV. Watch or activate any form of communication method with the outside world. I could also, via the Internet, have food delivered by supermarkets (and clothing) to my door, and in fact could, as long as the money lasted, recluse myself almost entirely from the world .... in short I could become a Solarian.
However I am not alone in this. When I was younger, and in fact until the age of satellite TV and the Internet arrived, we used to have a common shared society e.g.
So we have already broken down into tribes within our society, and worldwide we have witnessed the rise of the mega cities. We haven't domed them over ..... yet. But with the effects of global warming soon to make the outside hotter than ever ..... then perhaps we will not be too far from the idea of doming over our mega cities by the end of the 21st century.
As for living in our own isolated habitations, unseen by other humans, well in Japan, they have seen the rise of the Hikikomori. As many as a million young Japanese, mainly boys, who have retreated into their bedrooms, and who are not even seen by their parents (who are effectively robot cleaners and food suppliers). Their only contact with the outside world is via their high-speed broadband TV (sex is via Porn, friends are fellow gamers, or in chat forums for the similarly afflicted ~ see incels) ~ and if it wasn't for toilet/cleaning issues, they would never emerge at all. These Hikikomori are often also described as Otaku ("geeks" or "nerds").
So far they are a so far largely a Japanese phenomena, but there are most certainly similar males in South Korea, and even the western world. Italy reportedly has issues with boys who never leave the parental home. There are southern European countries with up to 50% youth unemployment, which means that many younger people have remained in the parental home for decades longer than they might have done in the past, are also likely to have many exhibiting Hikikomori type behaviours.
So, taken all in all, we are in effect, in many ways, inching towards one or two of the futures that Asimov predicted for us in his series of books back in the 1950's.
 |
| Domed Cities Maybe The Future .... |
Some different human cultures were envisioned. In some, each individual person never left their habitations, while in others, huge numbers lived in underground domed cities, like hives.
In those cultures where they never left their habitations, the people largely lived alone, and all social intercourse was through 3D VR, computer data screens, and robot workers. Reproduction was strictly controlled, or via artificial insemination in artificial wombs (near cloning).
These dystopian future human cultures were first explored in Caves of Steel (1953), but its the Solarians in The Naked Sun (1956) (who are taught from birth to avoid personal contact, and live on huge estates, either alone or occasionally with their spouses), who best epitomise the societal quirks that Asimov wanted to highlight.
I had cause to think about this recently, as I renegotiated my broadband deal to a better speed at a lower cost .... it occurred to me that I could download films direct to TV. Watch or activate any form of communication method with the outside world. I could also, via the Internet, have food delivered by supermarkets (and clothing) to my door, and in fact could, as long as the money lasted, recluse myself almost entirely from the world .... in short I could become a Solarian.
However I am not alone in this. When I was younger, and in fact until the age of satellite TV and the Internet arrived, we used to have a common shared society e.g.
- Children's TV was only 2 hours a day which encouraged playtime ~ now all child's play has to have the TV on, with kids programs available nearly 24 hours a day.
- We shared cultural values in a homogeneous society ~ now Asians and other immigrants watch their own TV, in their own languages, and can live here without learning a word of English, let alone share the culture.
- We all watched the big film blockbuster on Christmas TV (usually the latest Bond movie), or certain popular TV shows. What was watched by everyone, would then be discussed next day at school and work ~ now the choice is so great you never hear anyone ask 'did you watch so and so last night?' .... media consumption is now an individual activity.
- We shared a common history ~ Now that's as fragmented as our societies. I had to explain the second world war to a work colleague from another continent recently ... yes really!
So we have already broken down into tribes within our society, and worldwide we have witnessed the rise of the mega cities. We haven't domed them over ..... yet. But with the effects of global warming soon to make the outside hotter than ever ..... then perhaps we will not be too far from the idea of doming over our mega cities by the end of the 21st century.
 |
| Hikikomori Are Not Just A Japanese Phenomena. |
As for living in our own isolated habitations, unseen by other humans, well in Japan, they have seen the rise of the Hikikomori. As many as a million young Japanese, mainly boys, who have retreated into their bedrooms, and who are not even seen by their parents (who are effectively robot cleaners and food suppliers). Their only contact with the outside world is via their high-speed broadband TV (sex is via Porn, friends are fellow gamers, or in chat forums for the similarly afflicted ~ see incels) ~ and if it wasn't for toilet/cleaning issues, they would never emerge at all. These Hikikomori are often also described as Otaku ("geeks" or "nerds").
So far they are a so far largely a Japanese phenomena, but there are most certainly similar males in South Korea, and even the western world. Italy reportedly has issues with boys who never leave the parental home. There are southern European countries with up to 50% youth unemployment, which means that many younger people have remained in the parental home for decades longer than they might have done in the past, are also likely to have many exhibiting Hikikomori type behaviours.
So, taken all in all, we are in effect, in many ways, inching towards one or two of the futures that Asimov predicted for us in his series of books back in the 1950's.
Sadly the future which included humanoid robots will never likely happen as bipedal movement takes so much mechanical engineering. But it's nice to dream of a scientific future.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I hadn't thought of that restriction. Maybe only very big robots could walk in a humanoid fashion? An engineer could confirm this. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteAt least half a million young men in Japan have withdrawn from society, lock themselves in their bedrooms. Known as hikikomori, their families often don’t know what to do, but one organisation is offering “sisters for hire” to help coax these young men out of their isolation.
ReplyDeleteThe latest Covid-19 led recession and restrictions are very likely to increase the growth of the numbers of Japanese Hikikomori and their Western equivalents over the next decade. Personally its driven me outside every day just to save my sanity, but I guess it depends upon which way your mind works.
ReplyDelete