Predictions For The 2020s

[ER]

Predictions for anything from pop culture, politics, economics, technology, sports, daily life, medicine, it's your ball of yarn. What do you think lies ahead in the 2020s?

I think people will look back at the 2020s as the last decade before the "true" 21st century began with the growing pains of its launch from the 20th century at last being shaken off and the true 21st century identity coming into focus, as the first generation born in this century comes of age. I know to us it already feels distinct from the last century but these big differences we perceive won't stand as so apparent to those alive in fifty years, especially in hindsight to what's coming.

I been thinking we might see it as a hard decade, assuming there is any truth to the Fourth Turning theory, with some perilous events, a pandemic or probably even a nuclear terrorist incident.

Self-driving cars will likely suddenly be the norm.

Rapid medical advances will see progress in the treatment and prevention of diseases and everyday ills, since we are finally near a tipping point that could see decades of broad research come into utilization.

I also foresee political devolution coming to pass that might see the UK break apart, sections of Spain form new nations, Belgium may not make it through but likely will, the Kurds are going to continue to try to get a a county and will continue to get limited support for it, and in general there will be strong nationalistic sentiments in reaction less to multiculturalism than to an uneasiness about globalism.

Movie theaters may by and large well go the way of drive-ins and video stores.

Basic cable will also find it hard to survive.

Malls will be rare features of the suburban landscape.

Some nation, probably China, will begin to mass produce human clones.

In the US baseball will continue to slide in importance and soccer continue to grow.

No human will set foot on Mars in the 2020s.

Genetic engineering of pets will extend animal lifespans.

There will be a popular push to expand permanent membership on the UN security council to eleven nations.

Birth rates in the First World will continue to fall.

Personal privacy will be a memory.

The next Pope will be from the Third World.

By decade's end only one current US past President will be alive.

Bringing singers back via VR and hologram will be common.

Home schooling will grow in popularity and online education in general will become more the norm than the exception.

Civil war in Iran as the young population pushes back against the tired Shia regime.

The extinction of species will lose some of its dread nature as scientific advances preserve and possibly even bring back endangered and extinct species.

The 2020s will be a wild, marvelous, problem-filled, incredibly hard but exciting time.

(Hey, what's having me around without the occasional long post?)