The Internet, per se, may not be the issue.
The CORE of the issue is that virtually everything in recorded entertainment, interactive games, reading material and live events, news, and communication field is now available DIGITALLY.
All of that is easily stored, manipulated and nearly instantly accessed.
Its difficult for the "next big thing" on the horizon to compete with that.
Very little would generate much excitement in the minds of the current digital generation.
AI, for the masses, is a bit too esoteric.
"What's in it for me," is the byword for amusement park attractions.
This is a really interesting thought. I think though, this earlier post contests it in a good way:
Museums have shifted their focus from viewing to interaction to remain viable. And hands on museums like the one in SF are huge right now. Epcot would draw the crowds if they built an innovative walk through space ship or jungle gym or something like that, because well designed, innovative places like that ARE drawing crowds in major cities elsewhere. Epcot's model really isn't dead. It's just that they haven't put any effort into updating it.
Having spent a lot of time working with youth- I can attest to the fact that they are still
very much engaged by the tangible interactive experiences and will
still select that over screen time
if it appeals to them.
I can't speak on Epcot, as I visited it once as a child in the 90's and barely remember it. I can say that as an adult visiting in the near future I don't plan on many of the attractions, they just don't sound interesting to me, or seem very dated. However, I do think a lot of them are geared more towards children, and that matters. I would love to see more feedback from children on this subject- rather than nostalgic or disinterested older audiences. I bet there are still kids who are interested in what Epcot has to offer at present, and those who barely recognize the antiquated features presented as modern to them. It also sincerely sounds like not much has been done to keep the park relevant or engaging in quite some time.
The brains of children are wired to crave interactive learning experiences. As long as elements of that are present in the park and
kept current to modern audiences- I fail to see how it cannot stay relevant, regardless of how digital experiences continue to improve (and they will). So like, don't blow a bunch of funds into what you think the future will look like, instead have an area with a rotating exhibit space, where say, people could interact with a 3d printer or the latest robot.
I also agree with those that say we are aren't experiencing as many rapid-fire tech developments as we were. I mean, look at the last 100 years. Wow, right? So much was accomplished, developed, so many ways of life changed. Even if you take the last 50 years. I think that is slowing, it
has to slow. Part of it is we're refining the tech we do have to serve us better and operate more intuitively. Another part of it is there are large regions of the world that are absolutely not caught up- even in first world countries.
Again though, I can't speak much to the park experience though I have watched many videos and read articles on it. I hope this thread continues to engage in such a fascinating discussion!
It would be really cool to see the park have some way of capturing all the advances in technology over the years in an interactive way- or perhaps they already have. With television, music, computers, cars, etc. So much! Despite what many think, in my experience young people are really interested in the past if it is presented in a way that engages them.
