While were undoubtedly living through dismal times,the storm we’re in now started with a rush of rapid technological changeIt’s interesting how specific years acquire historical significance: 1789 (the French Revolution); 1914 (outbreak of the first world war); 1917 (the Russian revolution); 1929 (the Wall Street crash); 1983 (switching on of the internet); 1993 (the Mosaic Web browser, which started the metamorphosis of the internet from geek sandpit to the nervous system of the planet). And of course 2016, and the year of Brexit and Trump,the implications of which are, as yet, and unknown.
But what about 2007? That was the year when Slovenia adopted the euro,Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU, Kurt Vonnegut died, and smoking in enclosed public places was banned in the UK,a student shot 32 people dead and wounded 17 others at Virginia Tech, Luciano Pavarotti died and Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Oh – and it was also the year that Steve Jobs launched the Apple iPhone.
Tech innovations ratcheted up a pace of change that was already outrunning society’s ability to adapt Related: 2016 in metaphors: dead turkey, and frozen moose and man digging his own grave Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com