Popular dystopian novels portray technology as a device needed for simple tasks in everyday life, and as science progresses, those ideas could possibly be a part of our society sooner than we think. Already, smart phones allow us to share our thoughts and lives with the world in 140 characters or through a photo or status update. There are also many different options for purchasing books/magazines/newspapers to reduce the amount of paper in the world. With this knowledge, the question remains: What will be obsolete 20, or 30, 50 years from now?

    One item technology could easily replace is an I.D. People rely on their driver’s license for everyday purposes, to drive anywhere, to prove your identity, to buy certain items, and more. If it gets lost, the repercussions can be catastrophic. Not to mention passports and green cards, which are extremely difficult to replace. Imagine being in outside of the United States and losing any of those things; you would be stuck in a foreign country until they could be replaced. Also, people have access to purchasing fake identity cards. Someday, technological identification could be extremely convenient and help to prevent crime. However, getting on board with ideas of identity methods would easily cause controversy.

    “It would be good because it would lessen the probability of human error,” said senior Alberto Gonzalez.

    However, many people are against the idea of a computer chip or any kind of program in their body, because they value their freedom of privacy from the government. Although the idea of the government watching your movements can be scary, it wouldn’t be much different from life now. Government officials have access to where you are at all times, your phone history, who you call or text, or anything else they want to know. Plus, if your iPhone or wallet gets lost, the chances of getting them back are slim. On the other hand, if something is physically implanted in your body, identity theft would be far less possible.

    “I wouldn’t like it. We need more privacy and less snooping from the government,” said junior Caleb Baumann. “[Computer chips] would dehumanize us.”

While multiple banks use mobile banking apps for transferring cash, checking credit card balances, etc. Theoretically, paper money could easily stop being produced if everyone started using these methods. Printers in general are becoming obsolete due to the many apps and online systems of sending signatures and legal documents. For example, real estate agents can sign documents for purchasing or selling houses through an app.

“The benefits of going paper free would be more eco-friendly for the environment,” said senior Madison Vistica. “It would be cost-friendly for business such as newspaper and magazine companies because they could post issues online.”

These ideas are few of many things our generation might see go obsolete in our lifetimes. Complications would rely on the economy and amount all those items would cost, and on if science develops enough to create them. Whether paper, books, passports, or other things stay or go, the world we live in continues to make discovers and advance in technology, group of individuals young now will likely see great change during their existence.