>>1260The internet I would argue has some of the highest potential of anything we've developed in the last century. Access is just about ubiquitous in developed countries and access is expanding in developing countries all the time. Its a global network where you can gain instant access to information, lessons, discussion/debate on pretty much every conceivable subject.
Issue is that society hasn't quite caught up on that fact, and instead prefer to stay in carefully crafted bubbles of friends and acquaintances where they can avoid learning and being exposed to different opinions and places where they might suffer having to think critically. Hopefully this will change, hopefully knowledge, critical thinking and curiosity will be seen as useful and interesting rather than practically ostracized.
The thing with the whole Back to the Future predictions, is that everyone forgets that most fields of engineering and technology have progressed fairly slowly. Computers, networking and whatnot have EXPLODED from the 70's and onward in a way no one at the time even dared to even dream. Technology advanced asynchronously. No one has had much need or want to advance automotive technology, whereas everyone wanted, needed, and saw the potential for computing.