Ari Wallach: Future Thinking & Social Media Evolution
Are we missing how good we have it? The evidence suggests we are. Despite what many believe, we're actually living in an era of unprecedented progress. Health outcomes have improved dramatically, and even though it might not feel like it, more people have access to basic necessities than ever before. Yet our perception doesn't match this reality.
The Evolution of Time
Our relationship with time has fundamentally changed. The concept of thinking about the future as we know it today is relatively new. For most of human history, we operated on what's called "horticultural time" - thinking in seasons and cycles, not minutes and seconds. In fact, the minute hand on clocks only appeared about 200 years ago, coinciding with the Industrial Revolution and the advent of rail travel.
Ancient Wisdom
Our ancestors' way of thinking about time was dramatically different. Cave drawings from 40,000-50,000 years ago weren't just art - they were practical guides about animal migration patterns and seasonal changes. This was futures thinking in action, albeit in a much different form than we know today.
The Social Media Mirror
Today's social media landscape is essentially a modern form of storytelling. We're all trying to tell the world who we are, what we stand for, and why we matter. But unlike the practical wisdom of our ancestors' cave paintings, our digital storytelling has become a hall of mirrors, reflecting and distorting our culture in real-time.
The AI Challenge
This digital reflection has profound implications for our future, particularly regarding artificial intelligence. The way we interact online - our discourse, our behavior, our values - is teaching these machines how to think and act. We're essentially modeling what it means to be human for AI, for better or worse.
The Education Revolution
As AI continues to evolve, traditional institutions like higher education will undergo radical transformation. The future of education won't just be about information transfer - we'll likely have AI tutors for that. Instead, education will need to focus on developing our psychological and emotional core, helping us understand who we are in an increasingly complex world.