Two weeks ago, Dale Carrico tagged me for a meme that I was really looking forward to answering, but I realized it was the sort of thing I actually wanted to think about. And there’s not much thinking going on around here lately! But there’s not much sleeping, either. And last night I finally sat down to think about some of the answers. Here’s what I was working with:

So here’s the task: Think about the world of fifteen years hence (2022, if you’re counting along at home). Think about how technology might change, how fashions and pop culture might evolve, how the environment might grab our attention, and so forth. Now, take a sentence or two and answer…

• What do you fear we’ll likely see in fifteen years?
• What do you hope we’ll likely see in fifteen years?
• What do you think you’ll be doing in fifteen years?

There are no wrong answers here — only opportunities to surprise, provoke and amuse.

Here’s the rub – I don’t usually like to speculate too much on the future because I’m not shy about recognizing how wrong future speculators get this sort of thing so often. But this isn’t the sort of “moore’s law leads us to x, inevitably” sort of speculation. Rather, this is the “here are some possibilities that I have no data whatsoever to back up” sort. And I’m ok with that.
My responses:

1) What do you fear we’ll likely see in fifteen years?

- Constant surveillance, both online and in the real world, to the point that anonymity in any aspect of life is virtually impossible.

- A ruling that allows states to declare official state religions

- Still no true equality for homosexuals, racial minorities, or women

- A two-party government in name only, with both parties converging so closely that it’s like the 2 clones running against one another in Futurama.

- Overturning of Roe V. Wade

- Governmental control of classroom content that disallows the teaching of evolution almost entirely

- Txt-speak seeping further into written and spoken language to the serious detriment of communication

- Widespread closure of universities after professors become censored for “liberal bias”

- The world community (encouraged by communication technologies) continues to dissolve local communities

- Star Wars, Episodes VII, VIII, IX, X…..

2) What do you hope we’ll likely see in fifteen years?

- A viable third political party in America (at least a third!)

- A return to political checks and balances, with true accountability

- A secular president

- Certain high-ranking individuals in the current administration serving time for war crimes

- A reduction in corporate control of Washington

- Some sort of new technology for storytelling

- More people wearing spandex and riding around exclusively on rollerskates

- Flying cars (c’mon, I grew up in the 1980s. I can’t give this one up. Promises were made!)

- A significant understanding of how body, brain, and mind work to produce consciousness

- A return to the days when intellectuals were respected in America instead of demonized

- Some sort of magic that allows me to eat lots of pizza and wear a size 4

3) What do you think you’ll be doing in fifteen years?

- Honestly, I hope I’ll be tenured at an ivy league school on the east or west coast, wearing tweed jackets with elbow patches, touring the country to give lectures in support of my 15th academic book, and rolling around on piles of money, earned from my secret career as a science fiction author who writes under a pseudonym. But I actually expect that I’ll still be working myself half to death with 20 hour workdays in a university position, still happily married, but with a dog instead of cats. Hopefully I’ll own a house by then. I don’t think much will change, honestly.
I’d love to see lots of other people’s responses to this same set of questions, but I’d especially like to hear from Doctor(Logic), Rod Brady, and Dave Thomer (and Randall, for the always-needed comic relief to balance out my doom and gloom!) (I’d be curious to see Johnny Logic and TChemgrrl’s responses but I’m not sure if either of them read here often enough to see this!)
You can read Dale’s responses here, and he links back to Jamais Cascio’s responses too. If anyone reading here decides to answer these questions for themselves, please feel free to post a link in the comments here. I’m interested in what the rest of you have to say!