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Researcher Roy Amara was an American futurist who famously coined the following adage, which eventually became Amara's Law: "We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run."

Expanding on the notion, Reddit user Every_Cartoonist3965 made a post on the platform, asking everyone, "What is normal now but won't be in 25 years?" and people immediately started sending in their answers.

Continue scrolling to check out the most popular ones and set a reminder to come back here after a quarter of a century — we'll know if there are any Nostradamus successors among us.

#1

30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Hopefully, influencers.

titaniac79 , Ivan Samkov / pexels Report

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Jane No Dough
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There will just be another type of advertising replacing them. A.I. influencers are already being utilized by companies.

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    #2

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread I hope it will be single use plastic

    -Jana-Foxxy- , Magda Ehlers / pexels Report

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    Dragons Exist
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There is some kind of plastic made from cacti that naturally decomposes after 5 years. Those would be great to replace single use plastics

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    We managed to get in touch with Every_Cartoonist3965, whose real name is Pierre, and they were kind enough to tell us more about their now-viral post.

    "I had seen multiple posts asking 'What was normal 25 years ago but isn't now?' and began wondering how people would answer a similar question in 25 years, so I asked it 'in reverse,'" the Redditor explained its roots to Bored Panda.

    #4

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread ELDERLY POLITICIANS

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    TheAmericanAmerican
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I say if we have to be at least 35 to run for POTUS then it's only fair to have an age ceiling! Tie it to the retirement age and watch our country improve!

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    "I haven't had the time to read through all the comments, but I already saw a lot about things on paper or material that will all be online later (think CDs, DVDs, books, and so on)," Pierre added.

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    "Also, I saw the answer 'being heterosexual' very often. I have to say that I disagree with this; I have absolutely no problem with non-heterosexual people, but I don't think heterosexual people won't be normal in 25 years, simply because, biologically speaking, they're the majority."

    "Many other popular comments revolved around fears of AI, including people losing their jobs because of the technology."

    #5

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Hopefully, animal abuse and neglect. I feel like we're moving really slow, but every once in a while there's a big change for the better.

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    My O My
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And I want this to expand to pets!!!! Sooo many pets out there are abused and neglected!

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    #6

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Affordable college. Most degrees don’t need students to be in a brick and mortar building, I hope in 25 years the cost of college is significantly cut down.

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    Nea
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I really really hope education at all levels becomes affordable.

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    The Book of Predictions is a 500-page anthology from the 1980s, assembled by the same people who gave us The People's Almanac. It's a simple conceit: they asked various experts and sci-fi types (with the occasional psychic or spoon bender) to imagine the next 50 years.

    But if there's anything that the publication has proved, it's that humans are really bad at seeing the future. "All of the predictions are wrong," writer Paul Ford highlighted in his review of the book.

    "Every now and then someone writes something like 'By 2000 you'll be able to listen to any album in a record store through a data service,' and you can squint and see Spotify. Or someone else describes wrist phones ... [But] when you aggregate hundreds of predictions, the result is a special, concentrated kind of wrong. Everyone was trying their best, and everyone missed. And these 40-year-old predictions don't seem wrong in the fun, steampunk way that, say, late Victorian predictions of personal blimps or hot-air-ballooning robots might seem wrong. They're just saggy middle-aged predictions."

    #7

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Young adults having the ability to read and write. Gen Z is functional, but Gen A seems to be severely behind in their academics and they don't care.

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    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If they actually are a little behind at their age I would argue that is due to the pandemic. School age children had a more difficult time learning from home, and most younger children went without preschool.

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    #8

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread TikTok “influencers” sharing their kids daily lives 🫠

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    "People could imagine a future for their disciplines, a future with wars, a future on Mars, or a future with laser dentistry. What no one could see was the potential of all the layers of infrastructure coming into being right around them," Ford explained, concluding that the real vision lies in seeing connections.

    #10

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread 56754 different streaming services which amount to more than anyone ever paid for cable

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    JenC
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pick one or two streaming services, and once you're tired of them switch to another one

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    Wondering about flaws in our collective perception, Pierre, the Redditor who started this thread, thinks that "climate change is a really big topic, which a lot of people seem to underestimate. They are like 'Oh, the Earth is warming up a bit, that's okay,' but if we want a livable world for a few generations behind us, we really need to change things."

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    #11

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Broccoli head haircuts.

    People are totally going to look back at them and laugh or cringe.

    Pixelated_Penguin808 , Ilyas Chabli / pexels Report

    #12

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Hopefully workplace abuse. 💪 f**k blind following in the workplace, especially unethical or common sense immoral actions.

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The Stand Up To Bullies campaigns in the schools should go all the way up to Parents, Corporates & Politics which is where it all starts

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    In general, Americans aren't optimistic about the nation's future, either. A 2023 survey by the Pew Research Center found at least two-thirds of the nation believes that by 2050, the US will become economically weaker, less important in the world, and more politically divided. A 2023 Wall Street Journal-NORC survey discovered that nearly 80% of Americans do not expect life for their children’s generation to be better than it has been for them.

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    #13

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread At the rate things are going probably being able to use water whenever we want.

    thejoker954 , Polina Tankilevitch / pexels Report

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    Steve Hall
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Humans are the only animals that don't reduce breeding when resources dwindle.

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    #14

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Octogenarians in office.

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    Sean Sean
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Like I said earlier, if you don't want them in office then stop voting for them. Even if you have to vote for someone that's in a different party.

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    #15

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Long commutes, hopefully

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When the shutdown happened, I thought we all agreed that remote work was not only possible but it was better overall? What happened?

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    #16

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread The thin illusion of privacy

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Funny we are trying to ban TikTok in the USA when ALL the social platforms are basically doing similar things like listening to conversations and using high tech micro-expression facial recognition that absolutely feels like Minority Report.

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    #17

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread The current s**t of an education system

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    DustBunny
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hey, parents need to parent. Teach your kids to behave. Teach them life skills. Teachers have 30 kids for 6 hours a day and then the parents don’t back them up. They can’t raise your kids for you. I swear like 90% of the world’s problems would improve if people went home and read to their kids.

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    #18

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Owning things. Everything is slowly turning to digital or subscription models

    AdEquivalent6855 , Canva Studio / pexels Report

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    MotherofGuineaPigs
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Streaming channels - why should I pay you 15.99 a month and still get commercials? There's free apps for that.

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    #19

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread We’re slowly seeing paperwork die out in hospitals as nurses. I often think about down the line when employees will think it’s crazy I worked when they still used paper. Everything is online now.

    rawr_Im_a_duck , Anna Tarazevich / pexels Report

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    GlixDrap
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can remember in the early 80s using punched cards to program a computer. Gone, and all for the best (but it did teach me how to spell environmental correctly).

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    #20

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread The sad: glaciers and snow during winter


    The good: single use plastic and 5 day work week


    The pessimistic: civilization


    The optimistic: nuclear threat

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The hopeful: social media calms down and we have more real world & IRL experiences rather than digital

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    #21

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Being smart/well read.

    wastefuldot , Pixabay / pexels Report

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    frederick clause
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am amazed that the people that were afraid of chips being in the covid vaccine aren't up in arms about Musk's neurolink implants.

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    #22

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Probably a lot of the insects and wildlife around you, basically anything that doesn’t thrive by eating trash the way raccoons and crows do.

    Even if not every species goes extinct, we may soon live in a world where few have ever actually seen a butterfly, dragonfly, ladybug, toad, firefly, etc. simply existing outside. Just like how many of us today have never actually looked up and seen a sky full of stars and the Milky Way, thanks to light pollution.

    Charitard123 , Pixabay / pexels Report

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sounds like Blade Runner with artificial cloned animals everywhere (based on Philip K. D**k's "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?" Book).

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    #23

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread The current shorelines.  The beachfront is going to be moving inland a ways

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    DennyS (denzoren)
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is so true. The number of properties that have been lost to the eroding coast.

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    #24

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Fax machine in offices

    jellybeann6666 , Karl Baron / flickr Report

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    lenka
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I had to send a fax recently to a company that was intent on making its administration procedures as difficult as possible - without a doubt highly intentional. Anyway, not having used or owned a fax machine for 25 years it was a challenge. I eventually found an online company. You send them an email with a PDF and they fax it for you. lol

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    #26

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Single family homes in major cities owned by the middle class.

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    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Commercial property investors are now residential property investors. I see plenty of the homes in my town becoming cheap unsafe unpermitted flips every month (asbestos siding and roofing!) while our housing inspector runs around "inspecting" occupied rentals for nickel and dime fines.

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    #27

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Retiring

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    Shelli Aderman
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    No! I WANT to retire! No one should have to work past 65 unless they WANT to…

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    #28

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread I hope that loot boxes in video games will become obsolete after several countries change the laws so that a customer should always be able to know what they are buying. So microtransactions would still be a thing but no more buying random items without knowing what you will get.

    I also wish that getting punished by police because you used cannabis will become rare in 25 years. I live in Finland and here using cannabis without doctor's prescription can ruin your life in many ways.

    BestFoxEver , Kindel Media / pexels Report

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Remember when video games were bought with one fee one time and then you played it and it actually was a fully finished, functional game? Pepperidge Farms Remembers.

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    #32

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread A lot of jobs

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Already happening due to the subtle digital, AI, robotics & automation takeovers in all fields

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    #33

    Animal agriculture. At least the most intensive form of animal agriculture will be frowned upon in the near future

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    Corvus
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hunger will always be more powerful than the frowning, though... so agriculture isn't going away anytime soon.

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    #34

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Ordering food and drink from a human in a drive thru

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    LooseSeal's $10 Banana
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This doesn't bother me as much as being pushed towards using restaurant specific apps. I don't want Wendy's, McDonald's, Taco Bell, etc. bad enough to justify having an app just to save a couple of bucks.

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    #36

    Democracy apparently.

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    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Democracy depends on an informed electorate. Between disinformation and the distraction of more sources of information and entertainment than our brains are wired to handle, we're too easily deceived to make good choices.

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    #37

    30 Things We're Used To Now That Will Lose Public Approval In 25 Years, According To This Thread Driving a car.

    Our kids (or grandkids) will look at us like dinosaurs, as we describe to them how we used to be able to operate automobiles on our own.

    Edit: for any one who believes self driving cars won't be available in 25yrs. Below is an article from McKinsey stating Level 5 (fully autonomous) vehicles are estimated to be conmercially available and viable for taxis and trucking by 2030.

    https://www.mckinsey.com/features/mckinsey-center-for-future-mobility/our-insights/autonomous-vehicles-moving-forward-perspectives-from-industry-leaders

    *for those that don't like reading it's under the section labeled "The timeline for autonomous-vehicle development is extending"

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    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Owning your own car! Self driving autos will replace truck and delivery drivers, Taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc... drivers, and us. We'll be forced to pay subscription fees and more to ride back and forth to work!

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    #38

    Cryptos

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And NFTs. Although if you created a Tea Company that had digital coupons as NFTs you can call them NFTeas and then name the flavors DiviniTea, SereniTea and InfiniTea.

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    #39

    If the powers that be get there way; Home ownership.

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    #40

    The nuclear family. It's already in decline, and now the majority of people don't live in this family arrangement. Extended families, lots of roommates, or living solo. But the nuclear family is ending.

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The nuclear family has exploded into an mushroom shaped cloud long ago at this point

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    #41

    40 year olds with wrinkles. Only the poorest will have wrinkles 

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    DRMAGDN
    Community Member
    9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't know about that. The amount of stress everyone has ages everyone quite a lot and stress is increasing at a rate only rivaled by economic inflation.

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    #42

    U.S.: Social Security

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    #43

    Criticizing the government

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