# If "Back to The Future" were a thing today, what would be the contrast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [November 12, 2021, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240 "2021-11-12T11:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/22 "2021-11-12T15:57:32Z")
Upvote ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/23 "2021-11-12T16:00:49Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > Kids today can connect with anyone they need instantly There are TV shows from before about 2001 with _entire episodes_ devoted to one character trying to find another. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/24 "2021-11-12T16:04:52Z")
The word “streaming” would be very amusing to 1991 me. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/25 "2021-11-12T16:15:29Z")
Oh yeah, people going to malls. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/26 "2021-11-12T16:22:10Z")
Yup. Doc: Marty, we need this part. Marty: Ok, let’s get it from Amazon Doc: South America? No…we should head to the mall. We can get you clothes while we’re at it. Kids don’t wear such drab colors around here. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/27 "2021-11-12T16:23:06Z")
You are right that perhaps I am overlooking the changes in play now that will seem so fundamental in 10 years. But I don’t think self-driving cars are close enough to be that thing. If autonomous cars coupled with an electrified transportation network and ubiquitous public transportation made getting anywhere almost free, I could see losing that being a shock akin to losing the internet and social media. But [self-driving cars are still decades away](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-driving-cars-are-still-decades-away/798499?page=28). The average car sold today will be on the roads for 20 years or so. The average age of a car in the US is reportedly [11.9 years](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200728005200/en/). So, roughly, for every new car there is a 24 year old car on the road. Kids in ten years will have plenty of experience with non-self driving cars even if some of them have recently gotten used to riding in a few of them by then. As an aside, I think the average car age statistics in the US actually understates reality. For a long time, the reported average age of automobiles statistic from IIHS assumed any vehicle over 20 years old was no more than 20 years old, which tended to skew the average down. It didn’t matter much when typical new cars didn’t make it anywhere near 20 years and when auto sales were growing rapidly but, in a time when car sales have plateaued or dropped and the many of the remaining cars are well over 20 years old (I have one that is 56), the skew today could be significant. Unfortunately, the underlying data supporting the IIHS’s age estimate is no longer readily available so I can’t see if they changed their methodology but there is no single year giant bump in age that might make a methodology change apparent. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/28 "2021-11-12T16:24:20Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > You have a tiny device you can carry in your hand, that’s a phone that lets you talk to anyone anywhere in the world… _and_ make video calls… _and_ a camera without film… _and_ a calculator… _and_ a voice recorder… _and_ a music player… _and_ a book reader… _and_ you can film and watch videos… _and_ instantly look up any information you want… _and_ play games? You could do a nice riff on the scene from the original where Doc marvels over the camcorder by having Marty show him the movie he was recording and then have it turn off because it’s out of battery, and of course Marty has no idea how to make a USB charger, so it’s dead for the rest of the movie. (from the linked thread) > [@What if "Back to the Future" took place in 1990?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-back-to-the-future-took-place-in-1990/846461/1): > > What would be Doc’s reaction to hearing that Donald Trump was president in 2020? Could also do a nice variation on the original by having Doc be a cynic and not the least bit surprised by this. I think the biggest challenge to such a movie is making 2021 Marty cool and capable compared to the kids from the past. 1980s Marty is _cool_ compared to the 50’s kids (particularly his parents, but all of them). He’s in a rock band, he’s capable on a skateboard, he’s independent and scrappy. When we talk about the cultural changes between the 90s and today, things like “plans are fluid” and “we can contact anyone we want at any time, or have information at our fingertips”… those don’t make you cool compared to the past. You get some fun fish out of water moments when the future kid is without their toys and internet, but that’s not enough. One plausible avenue you could take is that 2021 Marty is an influencer/youtuber, and uses his film/marketing skills to do something cool. There are lots of teenagers today with filmmaking skills that would rival professionals in the 1990s, and the That’s one way in which someone in modern times could inspire 90s kids to all think he’s the greatest. > [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Doc: South America? No…we should head to the mall. We can get you clothes while we’re at it. Kids don’t wear such drab colors around here. Chef’s kiss. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/29 "2021-11-12T16:24:47Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > in 1991… Email? What’s that? Internet? > > You have a tiny device you can carry in your hand, that’s a phone that lets you talk to anyone anywhere in the world… _and_ make video calls… _and_ a camera without film… _and_ a calculator… _and_ a voice recorder… _and_ a music player… _and_ a book reader… _and_ you can film and watch videos… _and_ instantly look up any information you want… _and_ play games? Teenage kid from 2021 travels back to 1991 with his iPhone. “Hey , I’m from the future, and check out this amazing technology-- it lets you talk to anyone anywhere in the world… _and_ make video calls… _and_ instantly look up any information you want!” “Oh yeah? Wow! Let’s see it do all that stuff.” “Uhhhh…well, it can’t do that in 1991, but it’s also a camera without film… _and_ a calculator… _and_ a voice recorder… _and_ a music player… _and_ you can film and watch videos…_and_ play games!” “Um, yeah, we have stuff that can do all that too…but maybe not quite that small. Cool…I guess?” ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/30 "2021-11-12T16:25:08Z")
Marty: Fine, we’ll take an Uber. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/31 "2021-11-12T16:26:35Z")
Marty: Fine, let’s get a Lyft Doc: Why do we need a lift? I have my car right here. > [@solost](#): > > “Um, yeah, we have stuff that can do all that too…but maybe not quite that small. Cool…I guess?” That’s a bit too cynical. That line was in the original movie: “Amazing, a portable recording studio”. Extreme miniaturization is still cool. A person from the 50s might have conceivably been unsurprised by the advances in video recording technology over the course of 30 years, but the movies emphasized even incremental changes in tech. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/32 "2021-11-12T16:31:05Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > You are right that perhaps I am overlooking the changes in play now that will seem so fundamental in 10 years. But I don’t think self-driving cars are close enough to be that thing. I don’t think that self driving cars will be universal in 10 years, but they will probably be pretty prevalent. Uber and Lyft will probably have transitioned almost entirely to them, so a teen of the 2030’s would be used to hitting a button to their phone\*, and having an autonomous car show up to take them where they want to go. \*assuming that they even have to do that, rather than just _think it_. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/33 "2021-11-12T16:31:50Z")
There would have to be some misunderstood slang. “Woah, that’s heavy, Doc!” could be updated. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/34 "2021-11-12T16:32:11Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > You could do a nice riff on the scene from the original where Doc marvels over the camcorder by having Marty show him the movie he was recording and then have it turn off because it’s out of battery, and of course Marty has no idea how to make a USB charger, so it’s dead for the rest of the movie. Doc: It turned off. What happened? Marty: It’s out of battery! Doc: [Holding assortment of AA, 9V, watch batteries] What kind of batteries does it take? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/35 "2021-11-12T16:32:32Z")
> [@What if "Back to the Future" took place in 1990?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-back-to-the-future-took-place-in-1990/846461/1): > > > [@What if "Back to the Future" took place in 1990?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-back-to-the-future-took-place-in-1990/846461/1): > > > > What would be Doc’s reaction to hearing that Donald Trump was president in 2020? > > Could also do a nice variation on the original by having Doc be a cynic and not the least bit surprised by this. Of course, the reaction to Biden being president in 2021 would be, “Good for him, he finally won.” > [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > One plausible avenue you could take is that 2021 Marty is an influencer/youtuber, and uses his film/marketing skills to do something cool. There are lots of teenagers today with filmmaking skills that would rival professionals in the 1990s, and the That’s one way in which someone in modern times could inspire 90s kids to all think he’s the greatest. He could invent the modern meme. I canhaz chezeburger isn’t cliche yet. Nor is keyboard cat. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/36 "2021-11-12T16:33:45Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > That’s a bit too cynical. > > That line was in the original movie: “Amazing, a portable recording studio”. Extreme miniaturization is still cool. A person from the 50s might have conceivably been unsurprised by the advances in video recording technology over the course of 30 years, but the movies emphasized even incremental changes in tech. My point was just that 2021 tech wouldn’t be all that science fictiony in 1991, especially devoid of the telecommunications infrastructure to show what it could really do. By 1991, mobile phones had begun to evolve and shrink from bricks down to candy bar size, though they weren’t yet the technological Swiss Army knives that smart phones would become. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/37 "2021-11-12T16:38:31Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > When we talk about the cultural changes between the 90s and today, things like “plans are fluid” and “we can contact anyone we want at any time, or have information at our fingertips”… those don’t make you cool compared to the past. You get some fun fish out of water moments when the future kid is without their toys and internet, but that’s not enough. > > One plausible avenue you could take is that 2021 Marty is an influencer/youtuber, and uses his film/marketing skills to do something cool. This is an interesting take and I like your suggested plot point. Kids are much more media savvy than kids of the recent past and could use that to their advantage. The thing that makes todays’ kids cooler to me is that they understand that there are people very different from them in the world and that they too can be different if they choose. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/38 "2021-11-12T16:40:10Z")
There’s some areas that don’t contrast. You go back to 1991, kids are still listening to vinyl. 🙂 Wait 10 years and the contrast might be severe. “You mean you had elections?? Like a communist country? Trumpmerica wasn’t a fascist dictatorship? And who are all these people with dark skin? And your women aren’t covered? Blaspheme!” Actually, that might make a nice satire, like Idiocracy. > [@solost](#): > > “Um, yeah, we have stuff that can do all that too…but maybe not quite that small. Cool…I guess?” I don’t know - I was there, and I would have been very impressed. “Wow, the future is everything we imagined!” ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/39 "2021-11-12T16:40:18Z")
Marty: Doc, I said an Apple store. This is a greengrocers. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/40 "2021-11-12T16:41:25Z")
> [@solost](#): > > My point was just that 2021 tech wouldn’t be all that science fictiony in 1991, Yeah, but so what? The idea of a portable video camera wasn’t exactly earth shattering even in the 50s. On-site TV reporters were a thing. It was hardly science-fictiony itself but still emphasized as if it were something amazing. The ability to play back immediately on a TV might have been neat but not something that was barely conceivable. Just smaller and faster. BttF had ‘fish out of water’ elements. That’s it. You can definitely still do that now, even with an iPhone. That same scene in the original could be duplicated almost directly. The technological advancements would be about as shocking given the technology of the era. It’s played up, but of course it would be for a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240/41 "2021-11-12T16:43:36Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > BttF had ‘fish out of water’ elements. That’s it. You can definitely still do that now, even with an iPhone. That same scene in the original could be duplicated almost directly. You could do something similar with 4k resolution in the phone vs a 90s TV too. Comparing back to the b&w to color transition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-back-to-the-future-were-a-thing-today-what-would-be-the-contrast/954240.md?page=3)