Ask a grown-up: How much more modern do you think the world is going to get?

President of the World Future Society, Tim Mack, answers 10-year-old Tom's question

Fifty years ago, when people used the word "modern", they were thinking of technologies such as electric typewriters and fax machines. Today, we might be thinking of emails or Twitter, or phones that take pictures we can send around the world. There seems to be no end to this pattern of technological growth, change and improvement.
Technology will continue to improve our ability as students, our health and our understanding of one another around the world. We can expect to live longer, know more and accomplish greater things. In this sense, modern means what is new. But there are also ideas such as peace, family, trust and caring that, though not new, are important to our society. While modern things and new technology will doubtless continue to appear in the market, and often change us and our lives, I feel that "old-fashioned" ideas will also endure and continue to have value.

The Guardian, Saturday 26 October 2013