A wave of futuristic predictions captivated audiences in the late 2000s adn early 2010s, promising innovations ranging from flying cars to Martian colonies-visions fueled by science fiction and the optimism surrounding emerging technologies. But as the years passed, many of those forecasts have failed to materialize, leaving a sense of disillusionment for those who once embraced them. In a new commentary,writer Saga Cavallin reflects on the gap between the promised future and present realities,tracing a path from early childhood impressions of programs like “Our World in 50 Years” and the film Avatar to the current state of technological advancement.
This is a commentary piece. The author is responsible for the analysis and positions taken in the text.
I feel like I was misled. This wasn’t at all what I was promised. Where do I even begin to voice my complaints?
Back in 2008, a program aired on Kunskapskanalen, lending it a certain prestige. It explored what the future might hold – specifically, the year 2057. In “Our World in 50 Years,” it was explained that “in the city of the future, advertisements won’t just stay on billboards. Three-dimensional images will float around urban spaces, sometimes causing problems for the flying cars, even though they’re controlled by autopilot.”
It may have been due to my young age that I took this entirely speculative German science fiction “documentary” – categorized as “entertainment” by the channel itself – so seriously. But I don’t think my underdeveloped brain can be held entirely responsible for this naiveté. At the same time, another program, a BBC production called “The Intelligent Future,” was being shown on the same channel, marketed with the promise “Science fiction + utopia = true.”
“Avatar” somehow felt like a realistic prediction of how the world would become
In 2009, the first “Avatar” film hit theaters. 3D film had just become a thing, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only kid who believed the hype. “Avatar” somehow felt like a realistic prediction of how the world would become.
The display of animation technology – it was the most expensive film ever made at the time – showcased the incredible potential of computers. Climate change had perhaps, for the first time, begun to be accepted and discussed as a real threat. And “Avatar” also depicted our hopes and fears: yes, we would definitely solve the climate crisis through high-tech innovations that would take us to other planets and upload our consciousness to the cloud, but how would that affect our relationship with Mother Earth?
An avatar is, in a way, a metaphor for an iPhone, which had just been launched.
Today, it’s hard to understand how this future could have been presented as desirable and possible. It’s only fifteen years since we were promised a world where humans had digitized their consciousness and colonized space.
In the early 2010s, Swedish media endlessly covered Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, and their visionary plans for space travel and a world without gasoline. Films like “Gravity,” “Interstellar,” “The Martian,” and “Arrival” followed. Despite being tragedies or dystopias, they all channeled a kind of general faith in space as a relevant frontier. The surge in space-themed blockbusters reflected a broader cultural fascination with the possibilities beyond Earth.
In 2014, Expressen reported that Barack Obama wanted to see people on Mars within 20 years, and highlighted the story of 13-year-old Alyssa Carson, who aspired to be the first person on the Red Planet. In 2016, Affärsvärlden reported that “Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX will put a human on Mars by 2025.”
Part two wasn’t finished until 2022. By then, the optimism had died
I’m still waiting! Just kidding: how were we thinking? In just under a decade, these sweeping promises went from being considered relatively credible to being taken for what they really are – complete nonsense.
Last week, the third “Avatar” film premiered in theaters. “Avatar 1” still holds the record as the highest-grossing film of all time. Shortly after the premiere, director James Cameron announced his ambitious plans for sequels. In 2016, the number of planned films in the series reached six, but part two wasn’t finished until 2022.
By then, the optimism had died – having an iPhone turned out to have little in common with playing around on a magical planet as a tall, blue alien. It felt unlikely that long-distance space travel was the solution to Earth’s problems.
We are now a quarter of the way into our new century, and very little has turned out as we hoped until very recently. As Sebastian Lindvall pointed out in his review of “Fire and ash” (DN 17/12), even the 3D effect has lost its luster. Can I still exercise my right of return?
