Utopia

The story begins with hope.

For centuries, people farmed and made things by hand. Then, the Industrial Revolution brought machine power. It promised efficiency, prosperity and an easier life. Later, the digital revolution made a similar promise: automation, connection and endless possibility.

Technology was going to set us free.

Early collectable ceramics turned ideas of industrial progress into neat romantic scenes. Their polished surfaces made their stories feel trustworthy. Today, social media does something similar. Carefully edited content, profiles and feeds show a gleaming version of reality.

And yet… Technology has made us more productive and connected, but not necessarily freer. More is asked of us. We count our steps, likes and follows. We monitor our productivity.

Is our technological utopia still possible? Maybe remembering our pre-industrial heroes could help us.