I thought it was crazy to think about all the 8.2 billion people.
A even crazier thought is how many internet users there are, who in theory can talk to anyone else.
From an information point of view it’s just a amazing amount of informationand potential available.
Of course, not everyone has something to say to every other user. But the fact that people who are interested in a subject can “easily” talk to so many likeminded people should allow for humanity to develop at a never-before seen pace.
Are we? I don’t know. Feels like things are stagnating, partially because of bad incentives. Or just human nature not having caught up with things.
Anders Hansen, a Swedish psychiatrist talks a lot about this disconnect between what evolution has prioritised during the last 100k years vs what we would “need” right now to thrive in this information and abundance society.
If you have not read his book, “The Attention Fix” I strongly recommend that you do. It’s definitely on the short-list of most influential books I have read within the last few years. It has really allowed me to view things in a new light, which is I think the best a book can do.