Is it the Future yet?

I wanted to dedicate an area to potential visions (for various definitions of the term) of the Internet’s future. The above vaporwave anthem, a particular favorite of mine, quotes a newscaster who suggests that information technology might someday occupy a similar place to “the color television” in the average home.

Over the years, other people have compared the invention of the internet to things like the advent of wireless transmissions, the invention of the telephone, and the printing press. The latter is a bit closer than the rest. But still? Not even close. Not really.

I’d argue that ubiquitous computing is, for humanity, a change on par with the invention of fire or the discovery of writing, if not language itself. It definitely has the potential to alter our path as a species as much as the latter. Some are, of course, going to ask if ubiquitous computing and communications are a positive change. To that, I’d reply that it doesn’t matter.

At this point, I view information technology through the lens of force majeure. It might as well be an organic phenomena beyond the conscious control of humans at this point. True, much of how it has been developing rests in the control of powerful, wealthy people who could make different choices. That wouldn’t change the ubiquity of the technology, however, and it wouldn’t make expansion less inevitable.

While one can’t very well agree with much else in it, the Unabomber’s industrial Society and its Future was right about that. When it comes to technology, you can’t turn things backwards once they’re set in motion. To the Unabomber, this was a horrible, terrifying thing - hence the mail bombs. To me, it's kind of exciting to see the future develop. I approach most new technology with cautious excitement and curiosity, even if the latter is tainted by the jaded millennial mindset. It can’t be stopped, and holds much promise for us as human beings anyways, if we shepherd our technology properly.

This is why I’m a transhumanist . The thing is? Unlike most transhumanists, I’m an occultist as well, a believer in things like magic and divination. I believe in an unseen dimension to life that transcends the physical. This, to me, is wholly compatible with transhumanism (others disagree).

I see the state of the world today as extremely liminal, largely because of the advent of ubiquitous computing itself. We truly live in a unique era. If we can sort our way through things like climate change, who knows what will come next?

The alterations in the way we live and think in the past hundred years have been unprecedented. The future is a veritable black box. True, we can ask science, sociology, and anthropology to give their best guesses, but why not let spirituality give it a go, too, if only for fun?

And yes, I do believe the future will, ultimately, be bright. So, here, I explore my cautious optimism in two forms - the tangible world of transhumanist thought, and the (quite literal) visions afforded by occult practices.

Tangible Visions

There isn’t anything here now, simply because a lot of what I’ve collected over the years is very disorganized. You’re more than welcome to chime in yourself, though, and in fact, I’d adore multiple perspectives.

In this section, I’ll primarily curate links to other people’s visions of what the future of the internet might entail, or what it ought to entail, or what horrifying fates we might narrowly escape. I might share some of my own takes, but I’ve not got a lot to share yet! Things seem so volatile these days that it’s quite hard to say how things like online trends might change, and my age makes it hard for me to keep up, anyways. So, I’ll be reading, linking to what I find, and learning what I can.

Keep in mind that despite my clear disenchantment with social media, I’m genuinely optimistic about the future of information technology. You can expect most of what I share here to be a bit biased in that regard - cope. As I’ve said elsewhere, I’ve been interested in transhumanist thought for decades. It does, of course, shape my perspective on the future. I do have plans to post a short guide to transhumanism, and why it is important to me. Don’t expect too many general transhumanist articles here, though - this page is more specific to the future of the internet.

How do you think things might change in the next ten years or so? If you yourself have a link to a particular essay or article that shares and interesting perspective on the Internet’s future, do get in touch! All of my contact information is located in the sidebar, after all. I would love to swap perspectives on this very topic, too, if you just want to chat on Discord or elsewhere about it.

Visions Intangible

Presently, there’s not a lot here compared to the rest of the site. Expect more soon

If you’ve browsed my pages for a significant amount of time, there is a small chance you’ve come across references to the occult. The truth is, I’ve been a practitioner of various magical and divinatory systems for almost as long as I’ve been online. I’m not Wiccan, nor do I really qualify as pagan.

Magically, I’d call myself something close to a sorceress or chaote (with a small “c”), but my practice is more centered around divination and a kind of inwardness lately. Elsewhere on the site, the sheer oddness of my (spiritual and metaphysical) beliefs fades into the background.

Here, though, I’d love to let the more eldritch parts of my beliefs run free, if only because so many of them are related to divination, and looking into the future. While many of us have experienced a Tarot, mirror, or perhaps rune reading about a relationship or our own self-development, I see no reason to stop there.

I’d like to experiment, a bit lightheartedly, with divination methods using and focused on the internet itself. I’ve got significant experience with divination, but haven’t tried it much on this scale. I think it would be an interesting experience.

I’ll also be including a section of links to online divination tools that are not algorithm-rich ad-filled monstrosities. I think we’re all well-aware we can download this or that (spyware-filled and dubious) Tarot or astrology app on our phone, too, but here, my focus will be smaller, more unique methods.

I’ll share guides to do-it-yourself divination methods that involve technology, too. I hope to even include a section later for links to sorcerous resources about the internet - ie, cybermancy, or whatever one wants to call it in today’s world.

Consider having a look at my small astrology page, which pokes at the natal charts of various corporate entities of significance in the Information Age, or visit the page of divinatory tools for a taste of the future, perhaps.