Recently, I went to see the movie The King's Speech, which brought back boyhood memories of my family sitting around the wireless (as radio was then named).
We would listen to the speeches of King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II (who is the current Queen of England), and Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England.
The wireless was the only communication we had in those days, apart from the telephone, which was limited to only a few rich people and those in government. The telephone line was often used by several families and called a ‘party’ line. Thirty years later would see the advent of television. Again, families would all gather and sit around the one TV set, often joined by neighbors who were unable to afford television.
Thirty plus years on today, we have the internet, Facebook, Twitter and the iPhone. Unlike before, these current activities are primarily done individually although connected to others' participation. I find this interesting, as many of the books of wisdom show humankind to be interconnected!
When I started our leadership and communication work in 1989, the world’s information supply doubled every seven years, now it doubles in less than one year. Human beings are amazing and wondrous in their creativity and innovative capabilities. I find this in conflict to the constant comments I hear from Chief Executives, that people are losing their creativity due to the addictions developing from the internet, texting and associated technology.
It is noticeable that people seem to be losing the ability to use their imaginations and create a dream for their lives. Yet I am convinced that all human beings want to have a better quality of life.
See my www.askbrianmartin.com ebook, ‘Ordinary People Creating an Extraordinary Life’. The amazement at the possibilities of the next thirty years leaves one breathless at the possible future mankind may live in.
Will it ALL be positive? Or with the evolution of machines and technology, will man be the slave of his own innovation?
We are already seeing people who are slaves and cannot function if they are deprived of what used to be considered toys, which have now become essentials.