It's hard to sit here in 2024 and have a bright outlook on the future. Inflation has made it near impossible for the average young person to buy a house, COVID-19 just finished ravaging the world, and we might be on the brink of World War III. And all of that exists with the impending threats of climate change and runaway AI hanging over our heads. 

But it is true that human history has always slowly progressed on a two steps forward 1.9 steps back pace, so perhaps we're just taking a momentary step back. It's still fun to hypothesize what the near future might hold, and that's exactly what these 23 people on Ask Reddit decided to do. Answers covered a wide range of topics, but it's safe to say that stifling levels of technological and corporate involvement in our lives are here to stay.