Lastly, unanticipated results can include how social structures themselves are affected by new technologies. When information technology is described as a tool to empower the individual, for example, little thought is typically given to what it means to dis-empower the group. Societies and cultures emerged as a means of perpetuating collected learning, passing it along to new generations. He will have to deal with that, recognizing that change is inherently neither good nor evil, but is a fundamental aspect of twenty-first century life. But dealing with change means thinking critically about it, evaluating how a new system, a new method, a new device fits into one's existing structure of life and, more importantly, re-evaluating it time and again as its implications become clear.
First impressions are often wrong, and important results sometimes take time to emerge.
Simple acceptance of anything new can be as dangerous as obstinate rejection. When Nicolas is 30, he will know that awareness is the key to successfully navigating the changing world. He will need to both scan for the new ideas and systems coming over the horizon and look back to see how established technologies and concepts have affected his life. He will know that he'll have to be able to adapt. Jamais Cascio is a consultant and writer specializing in scenarios of how we may live over the next century.