Perhaps it was a greater achievement to get the first 10^4 people online than the next 10^9. More of the same-or-slightly-smaller.

I certainly got more delta-value out of pre-web Internet (email, Usenet, chat) and Web 1.0 (online papers and libraries, nearly-free publishing) than Web 2.0 onwards (Facebook, etc). Maybe it's not accelerating constantly.

I think you're really underselling things like 3G data plans which are now worldwide. That didn't exist 10 years ago.

Even just the widespread use of SMS has helped medical teams assess and treat diseases in remote areas.

When people complain about some lack of technological advancements, it sounds to me like they're just not aware of what we have accomplished. And I am not surprised that Thiel is in this category. He has a JD, not a PhD

No, I'm staggered by the wonderfulness of modern networks. It's just that taking the Internet to the masses is slightly less staggering to me than getting from POTS (analog telephone) to the Internet. And I do have some idea what is involved.

There's a big difference between technological advancements and engineering & standard development. Deploying a cell network is an engineering and logistical task, not a feat of invention.

>Deploying a cell network is an engineering and logistical task, not a feat of invention.

People that say that have no idea how hard it is to make a network large. The complexity of expanding connectivity is our modern feat.

Except this is talking about deploying 3g globally. Once the problem of a device moving from LA to SF to NY is solved, it's nothing new to add in Johannesburg and the whole of Swaziland. What's more is that this system was solved decades ago, it's not even a 3g problem.

I think it all depends on which technology. They all seem to follow a sigmoid curve where progress accelerates and then tapers off. The fastest improvement may be say 1860 for sewers, 1960 for jet engines and now for computer tech.

culturally/politically, yes we should be proud...

but 'everyone can communicate with anyone' also meant everyone has access to FB, snapchat, worthless videos, and so on for distraction :(

I'm in the camp that abstains from social media, but people are almost always going to find distractions, be it social media, movies, shows, games, novels, or consumables. In moderation, that's perfectly fine. Not everyone wants to work a crazy amount of hours or considers what they are doing from 9-5 fulfilling.

I actually think distraction from our IT devices is a major reason why things are slowing down.

Without our smartphones, spending hours tinkering would be how most people ended up spending their time. It sets one up much more so for a maker mindset over a consumer mindset.