Asimov predicting the impact of Internet 25 years ago

Isaac Asimov, one of the geniuses of the twentieth century, predicted in the 80s all the impact that the Internet would have and still have in our lives.
myCollectiveBrain: A series of 25 videos that will blow up your mind on what's next... Imagine the future, now go get it...

[@dereklong2072]

He just described me and my process of learning things today.

[@noelperies8406]

This is a fascinating chat with someone that clearly understood the possibilities of what the internet has now become

[@davidgraham8058]

He has a very ill-deserved regard for humanity. Most people are lazy, ignorant, intellectual morons. They use the internet for non-intellectual pursuits, such as pornography and celebrity gossip.

[@TheTrueAdept]

Not all of them, MIT would give a literal prophesy with the internet in 1996, a paper called _Electronic Communities: World Village or Cyber Balkans_ and, sadly enough, that latter half is _absolutely true_ in the end.

[@louiselloyd1523]

well here we are in 2024 and the opening line from "A Tale of Two Cities" comes to mind.... "It was the worst of times, it was the best of times." That was written by Charles Dickens in 1859. Listening to Dr. Asimov expounding on the wonderful things our new technology can do, while very uplifting and inspiring only describes half the story. As we live in the midst of this vast experiment we can see the wonderful possibilities and the terrible disappointments. When it involves human beings it is far from perfect.

[@mtns7036]

It took me up to my 40,s to start to learn in this exact way!

[@mk1gte]

I always remember when in The Naked Sun he described a 'web' of invisible communication between robots, that'll be WI-FI then!

[@KuopassaTv]

...or radio.

[@itzcom3390]

plz update the title to 31 yrs ago, man :D

[@LawrenceLagerlof]

Just remove that reference and add the year of the enterview.

[@kreion]

each of us have a computer in our pockets and we're using it for tiktok. We failed.

[@needforspeedgaming7148]

Not all of us use it for that pathetic app

[@varunkhareindia]

Udemy, couraera, edureka, khan academy

[@thomasrosin7374]

Already in 1974 there was an interview with Arthur C. Clarke, where he was taking about net connected personal computers; he imagined bying theater tickets, bank orders or even working anywhre on earth by help of those computers. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke

[@christophkuropkaGR]

But he predicted it completely wrong. No one is learning and we are getting dumber and more neurotic by the our - even though everyone has the opportunity to learn...

[@leocaffeine]

He predicted that all would have the opportunity to learn by themselves using the internet and that is right. Think that you can use the technollogy to create great things and help many people or just make a nuclear bomb… he predicted the great tool that we would have but not how it would be used. The way he described the usage maybe is the way that he believed that would be the best.

[@whysocurious7366]

I think he was correct about the early internet. He just didn’t predict how quickly capitalists would degenerate the internet into an advertising/engagement/profit machine. He needed more pessimism towards greed.

[@wesleyquarles1250]

Currently, 3 grumpy people have disliked this video. What is wrong with people these days???

[@newsoftheday420]

This is stunning!

[@Riverherb]

I learned a lot from this. good video

[@Palexco]

3 years and not a single dislike. Go Asimov!!

[@averagejoe1858]

Dogman You caused people to dislike this video, way to go moron.

[@benk2755]

Average Joe or evil genius?.......

[@Palexco]

Average Joe it was probably you

[@southlondon86]

His mutton chops have chops of their own.

[@brianeckes7minutesermonser840]

Nobody would have predicted that Isaac would look very swell, in 2021 on youtube, with lamb chop side burns...

[@originalkingalpha5116]

Correction: PORK CHOPS!🍻😂

[@BrainOnFire]

Poor Isaac. I'm glad he cant see how all that is basically used to create memes and wach porn

[@raytry69]

But there is the possibility to learn to everyone. I do so. Many of us do so.

[@Tolstoy111]

The Internet was already around at this time. People had modems and accessed information online. The Web wasn’t around.

[@Jelapi18]

Coursera: Mhmm...Yess...

[@coolarun3150]

wow prediction!

[@IMDLEGEND]

Fascinating insight.

[@edisont.picard4112]

He's right about what it could be, but it is not that at all. The Internet is a net negative for us all.

[@montanaricky9558]

Interviewer: I’d like to answer your question yes almost every kid has a computer poor and rich. And with this device called a cell phone I am now as smart as anyone in the world because of it. Anything and eveything can answered for heck even videos are made to show me. I think the entrainment part of the computer does create distractions but all in all we are smarter ❤

[@mmcc2852]

what would he saya about consiparcy theiry like flat earth? and cat video?

[@marianhunt8899]

And who decides what you're allowed to learn? Who decides what is true and what is false? Garbage into internet, garbage out of internet.

[@Glattiator89]

Asimov looks like a while Samuel L Jackson

[@mtrps_]

Glattiator89 HAAAAHAHAAHAH YES

[@prltqdf9]

Not even in the least.

[@furiousinsects6386]

You mean white? 🤣

[@curcumin417]

Wonder what Asimov would think about AI such as ChatGPT.

[@chepachii]

I predict those lamb chops will eventually grow on to block out the sun and end life on this earth as we know it.

[@petertrypsteen]

LOL

[@joefox9765]

Except it's no longer connected to my desk. Its connected to my hand 😮

[@LinusFeynstein]

If he could just known that most things we consume in the internet is porn. The most mathematical task that people might be inspired to by watching is to converts inches to centimeters.

[@joangallardo9645]

Plus fake news, plus conspirationists, plus Islamic state propaganda, hate groups...

[@-Markus-]

Asimow was almost spot on but got one thing wrong: He believed internet would make us smarter.

[@johntimken9842]

The poor guy (one of my childhood heroes) was far too optimistic, reflecting the innocence of the time. He foresaw the good potential of the net, and none of the bad.

[@RS16DZ]

John timken everything is a double blade.

[@raytry69]

"Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is. The only function of a school is to make self-education easier; failing that, it does nothing." He said.

[@raytry69]

Some people need more time. Some people will never be motivated for knowledge. School systems are fundamentally wrong.

[@originalkingalpha5116]

​@@raytry69 Bingo!🎯

[@joseleal6437]

Wikipedia.

[@daviddixey]

Very insightful. But this is the ideal; it probably didn't occur that anyone could upload any rubbish they want and that gullible people would believe it. That's the unintended and unforeseen result of the Web.

[@remodeledcatidea5324]

Dont forget the true GEM of the Internet, Bringing the most dusgusting porn to everyone 24/7 . No more having to go to the sleezy side of town to the porn theater. Thank you internet.😂😂

[@SFJayAnt]

#Fakenews

[@LeTomato]

he didnt predict shit. he never mentioned people would be enamoured with wealth, beauty and vanity. He never said there would be a fundamental breakdown of society as it was known...

[@dominicgunderson]

There hasn't been a fundamental breakdown of society lol

[@joangallardo9645]

@@dominicgunderson Yes, there is, at least in many countries, it's just that it doesn't happen at once, but slowly. Asimov would be astonished with his country watching the thousands searching for food in the rubbish, rough sleeping everywhere, mobs assaulting the Capitol...

[@aarondavid5866]

cant be right all the time