When is the future?

In the second half of the twentieth century it was pretty obvious where the future lay: in the 21st century. The year 2000. And numbers in the low 2000s were everywhere - from book and film titles to products.

But what date signifies the future today? That's a question Marc Auge asks in his book Ou est passe l'avenir? (Where is the future?).

Surely the year 2010 is too near to be considered futuristic, whereas 2020 carries at least one other meaning that's liable to confuse people.

Perhaps the year 2100 is the new future - it certainly appears in a number of computer game titles. But is 2100 too distant to become the default future year? Arguably, the year 2000 became a popular emblem of the future in the later 20th century simply because it was tantalisingly within reach and pleasingly round.

Perhaps it held less power earlier in the twentieth century. For instance, Philip Francis Nowlan chose to set his futuristic Buck Rogers stories in the 25th century rather than the 21st. For a taste of what to expect when we do reach 2400, take a look at this video.

Colin Barras, online technology reporter

Via Pasta & VinegarLabels: dancing, robots, sci-fi

Posted by Colin Barras at 3:07 PM