Our lives are almost entirely digital at this point. OK, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but we’re moving towards that point. As noted by Qoin, we’re already incorporating “more digital technology” into our lives than we “could have ever imagined.” Philosopher Nick Bostrom has also postulated that the universe might be a simulation, which means we might already be digital. Whether we’ve always been there or not, it’s clear life is becoming ever more simulation-like.
Old Ways of Doing Things Are Dying Out
The evidence is all around us. For example, when was the last time you took out a pen and wrote down someone’s phone number on a piece of paper? It was probably a long time ago. We’re not saying that noting down numbers in your phone is any better or worse than the pen/paper combo, it’s just different. The same is true for other aspects of life and entertainment. Take, for example, casino gaming. Yes, it’s an example from leftfield, but it’s a pertinent one.
Walking into a casino is a sensory experience like no other. Between the whoops of victory and tunes emanating from slots, the clinking of riffling chips is almost melodic. The sights and sounds of casinos have been immersing people for decades. Now, however, just as much gaming takes place online and in relative silence. Paddy Power’s online casino is among the most popular due to the fact it offers 400+ games and a variety of bonus offers, including Wonder Wheel.
People clearly keep going back, even without the riffling of chips and buzz of the crowd. We can say this with confidence because, when you zoom out and look at the online casino industry as a whole, millions of people play. In fact, they play so much that analysts at SkyQuest Technology Consulting expect the online gambling industry to be worth $153 billion by 2028.
Are Sci-Fi Ideas Becoming a Reality?
Again, the move from clinking chips to silent ones isn’t a negative. Casinos are more accessible online and there are a ton of innovations. In many ways, casino gaming is more immersive than it’s ever been. That’s a positive and part of the reason our lives are becoming ever more digital. Basically, digitization on a mass scale is inevitable. Indeed, we’ve satisfied our initial premise with just two examples. The question now is, how far will things go? Are we ever going to be 100% digital? The sci-fi answer would be yes. Inserting chips into our brains and living in stasis to keep our bodies alive isn’t that far-fetched anymore.
Elon Musk is pioneering the development of neural implants with Neuralink. The N1 Implant is a hermetically sealed chip that can interface with our brains. The initial idea is to use N1 to treat neurological disorders. However, over time, it could become the way we interface with the internet. From chips in our brains, we can skip to stasis. Although the technology is yet to be created, a paper by Nordeen et al looked at ways we can slow down metabolic processes to put humans into a state of suspended animation.
The 2018 paper was published by the American Physiological Society and explores ideas such as therapeutic hypothermia. Suspended animation is a long way from reality, but it’s no longer a figment of our sci-fi imaginations. Nor is the idea that we may soon live almost all of our lives in a digital world. The evidence is mounting and it’s exciting to see, depending on your perspective. Some people will yearn for the old way of life, others want the future to hurry up. Whatever your perspective, digital days are coming our way and nothing is going to change that.