Scott Hanselman took us on a nostalgic journey in his recent TEDx talk, reflecting on 40 years of technological progress and asking: Has tech delivered on its promises?
In many ways, the outcomes of these promises feel contradicting. Our daily lives are more optimized than ever, yet we’re overtasked and overstimulated. Social media connects us globally, yet leaves us feeling more isolated. And creativity is increasingly reduced to metrics and algorithms.
You don’t have to look far to see the effects. One of our local schools recently introduced a no-cell phone policy. The intent, for kids to reconnect with learning and to each other without the constant buzz of notifications. After the first week of school, instead of silent lunch tables lit by phone screens, staff saw rooms full of kids talking, laughing, and actually engaging with one another.
Like Scott, I grew up with technology. None of us could have imagined how deeply it would shape our work, relationships, and identity. As our devices begin to know us better than we know ourselves, the real question is no longer what technology can do – but what should it do.
Watch Scott’s talk – and let’s ask ourselves, what promises do we want technology to keep in the next 40 years?