A perspective on Today's Shock

By: Prof. Dr. Younes Megdadi

We have read or heard about Alvin Toffler's book entitled Future Shock in 1971, in which he discussed several future predictions that will occur, which will constitute intellectual, cultural, social, economic, and living changes for our future lives. Indeed, the features of these predictions have appeared since the year 2000 up to the present day. And here we are witnessing many life changes according to what was predicted, and now they have become a reality that affects all aspects of our lives and at all levels, and in return, societies respond to these changes with the aim of keeping pace with modernity and developments in a way that serves their aspirations, regardless of their social and economic classification.

We have also heard, for two decades, of the existence of a revolution called the era of knowledge, the Internet, new or emerging technology, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence, which in its entirety constituted a complete transformation in the methodologies of human thought, and even exceeded human expectations, which doubled our passion to take advantage of its countless advantages and benefits. Indeed, it has become It is one of the most important inputs of all sectors, which has produced advanced industries for us, including, but not limited to, electric and smart cars, green energy, and precision industries with their electronic and smart applications, which has prompted many sectors to employ them due to their economic and social importance, including the banking sector, health, education, and agriculture, Industry, commercial deals, electronic buying and selling, and many others. What is actually happening exceeds expectations through these industries, which we see through the goods and services offered that have saturated our markets, which has constituted a clear shift in our human thought and behavior due to our continuous passion for development, urbanization, and the transition from the traditional lifestyle to modern life, which has become an integral part of our consumption daily life.

These changes we are witnessing today was not expected nor to such a large extent, which constituted a real shock, especially to third world societies, due to their circumstances known to everyone, which made it difficult for everyone to suddenly comprehend what is happening, despite our remarkable race towards new industries and services. It has been brought about by the age of knowledge, regardless of the repercussions of what is happening and the consequences of this development and the gains or harms that will befall us alike, not to mention the upcoming advanced industries that will dazzle us with their technical specifications and economic advantages.

We agree to a large extent that we tend towards development because of its individual, institutional and societal benefits, but on the other hand we must remember that this development requires real readiness for the meaning of the word so that it does not affect many sectors that have economic weight and which could lead to... In the near term, it will lead to extinction, which increases the complexity of the situation and thus we remain in a spiral of searching for solutions. Hence, we see that today’s shock is like metal with two sides, one of which makes us feel happy and well-being with the achievement of many social and economic benefits and gains, while the other side may create the opportunity for the extinction of many industries and companies, which increases the amount of unemployment with the introduction of advanced technology, which only requires limited numbers of people with disabilities. Competencies specialized in precise technological specializations such as artificial intelligence and others to meet the needs of all sectors, not to mention the use of widespread robots instead of the human element. Accordingly, we believe that there is an urgent need to comprehensively reconsider the inputs and objectives of our strategic plans and for all our sectors in light of the rapid development taking place, in order for everyone to read what is happening with caution and away from charismatic risk-taking tactics so as not to lead us to a shock whose consequences are difficult to bear in light of the available capabilities limited on the one hand and the aspirations of future generations on the other hand.