Thursday, June 21, 2007

The coming Reality Divide

I am in San Diego this week for IFTF's Technology Horizons Abundant Computing Conference and we are wrapping up with a insights discussion right now. This is probably the most fun part of the event: take the past few days findings and in a group session, discuss insights and implications. (Part of our Foresight --> Insight --> Action process.)

One of the insights that I came up with the poor will have access to virtual, while the rich will get to experience the real thing. Jane McGonigal (my IFTF colleague) quickly called this the "Reality Divide".

Years from now, everyone will be able to view real-time, 4k (or greater) resolution of pretty much everything: the ocean floor, 3821 meters down; the Sistine Chapel, Machu Pichu, etc. However, I think the real desire (aspiration) will be to see it in real-life...and you'll need money to do that.

1 comment:

Yihong Ding said...

I love your post. I also have some thoughts after reading yours, and I have blogged them in my own blog. Will the world be more brilliant or more hopeless because of Reality Divide? How do you think of it?

---Yihong