Several reviewers and bloggers have noted that NYC2123 includes references to things that are not likely to exist 100 years from now, such as AIM and
Wi-Fi. I think these folks are making an important point, and they are probably correct that some of these terms will not be in use in 2123 (see caveat below). Wi-Fi, for example, already has several likely next-gen successors, such as
WiMAX.
Nonetheless, I think there are good reasons for employing such terms in a work of fiction, even though it may require some extra suspension-of-disbelief on the part of those familiar with the technologies in question and their likely obsolescence. By using the term "Wi-Fi," the important idea that I'm trying to communicate from a storytelling perspective is that the world of NYC2123 is one in which there is ubiquitous, publicly-accessible, broadband wireless connectivity. Referring to the technology in question as "Wi-Fi" immediately communicates this idea to the reader.
On the other hand, I could make up a name for the technology which will replace Wi-Fi -- it might be called "WiUltra" or "WiMega" or "BetaMax." But the point is we don't know what it will be called, and if I make up a new name for it, then I have to explain to the reader what I'm talking about, as in: "The WiUltra network blanketed the city in wireless, high-speed internet connectivity, blah, blah, blah."
From my perspective that just seems like gratuitous introduction of jargon, given that we already have a term at hand that conveys the central features of the technology in question. I think this kind of economy of words is particularly important for the format we've chosen, especially in light of the fact that many readers (
like this one) already feel that the work is too "text-heavy". While I personally believe that NYC2123 strikes a fine balance between words and illustration, the constant introduction and definition of new terms would certainly force us to add even more text to the work.
A final caveat: While unlikely, it's certainly not impossible that we'll be talking about AIM and Wi-Fi 100 years from now. We still "CC" people on e-mails and "dial" numbers on our mobile phone keypads. Some descriptors have a way of transferring themselves to new technologies even though their literal meaning has ceased to make sense within the context of that new technology.
