Imagined Future Scenarios
Entertainment, Plausible Futures, Medium Term (3 - 5 years)
Scenario Generated from 'Even Realities G1: The Fashionable Futuristic Smart Glasses That Google & Meta Wished They Made' - Yanko Design
Future Arc and Implications
Grow Arc
Social Impact: Increased global educational attainment and digital literacy leads to a more interconnected and knowledgeable populace.
Technological Impact: Advancements in AR/VR technology, processing power, and network speeds fuel immersive and personalized educational experiences.
Ecological Impact: Increased electronic waste and energy consumption from AR/VR devices exacerbate environmental challenges.
Economic Impact: A booming educational technology market creates jobs and opportunities for innovation, driving economic growth.
Political Impact: Governments invest heavily in educational technology infrastructure to maintain global competitiveness and address educational disparities.
Narrative: Constant iteration of the technology leads to the immersive gamified learning dominating mainstream education, expanding globally and becoming increasingly accessible and intricate.
Collapse Arc
Social Impact: Digital divide widens as access to AR/VR technology becomes a privilege, exacerbating existing social inequalities and creating a disillusioned underclass unable to adapt.
Technological Impact: Supply chain disruptions, hardware failures, and software glitches render sophisticated AR/VR learning systems unusable, reverting to outdated methods.
Ecological Impact: Resource scarcity and environmental disasters trigger widespread power outages and infrastructure damage, disrupting technology dependency.
Economic Impact: Educational technology businesses collapse due to economic recession and lack of investment, leading to widespread job losses.
Political Impact: Civil unrest and political instability disrupt educational systems entirely as governments struggle to maintain control of the increasingly divided classes.
Narrative: Widespread technological failures and social unrest render the promise of gamified learning obsolete as basic survival takes precedence; the digital divide becomes a chasm.
Discipline Arc
Social Impact: Learning becomes standardized and tightly controlled, with personalized exploration sacrificed for consistent outcomes and compliance.
Technological Impact: AR/VR systems are used for surveillance and behavioral modification, enforcing conformity and limiting creative expression.
Ecological Impact: Strict regulations enforce responsible technology usage and recycling, but at the cost of individual freedom.
Economic Impact: A centralized authority dictates educational technology spending and development, prioritizing national interests and preventing competition.
Political Impact: Governments use gamified learning to indoctrinate students with specific ideologies and promote national unity, suppressing dissent and limiting independent thought.
Narrative: Authorities meticulously control and utilize the AR/VR learning platform to ensure standardized education and to optimize the populace for their function within society.
Transform Arc
Social Impact: Deepened empathy and understanding across cultures and time periods foster global citizenship and collaboration as students experience perspectives first hand.
Technological Impact: Ethical AI tutors personalize learning experiences based on individual student needs, unlocking their full potential and paving the way for radical advancements.
Ecological Impact: Gamified simulations inspire ecological awareness and promote sustainable practices, creating a generation committed to environmental stewardship through lived interactive experience.
Economic Impact: A personalized education system fostering creativity and innovation leads to a wave of entrepreneurial activity and solutions to environmental societal challenges.
Political Impact: Decentralized learning networks empower communities to create their own educational experiences, leading to more democratic and participatory governance, where ideas and values are more accessible.
Narrative: AR/VR learning evolves beyond structured education leading to a radical enlightenment, empowerment of the individuals, and the dismantling of institutions, driving a dramatic and accelerated rise for society as a whole.
