This is an illustrated thoughts and wonders about the new ultimate ability — Thumbability (thumb-ability).

Are we now more comfortable expressing our like by clicking like button with our thumbs? In the future, would really liking something actually become clicking a like button? If then, would we have to teach the future generation how to really like something from our heart?

Is this gestural interaction created by technology becoming an overpowering social behavior that will eventually transform human behavior?

1. IS THUMB THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL?

Did “Thumb” become the most powerful tool in 21st Century? We could do — not everything — but many things by ‘activating’ our thumbs; from making a financial commitment such as purchasing products through apps just by using your fingerprints, to an emotional contribution such as expressing your persona and love for a square-framed life.

And because of the trust and dependency we build on our thumb-ability, we now even unlocked the infinite thumb with endless potentials.

2. PRESS. SWIPE. HOLD : WOULD IT BECOME THE NEW REFLEX MOTOR RESPONSE ?

We countlessly repeat pressing, swiping, and holding with our thumbs. Sometimes I even find myself unconsciously pressing home button and unlock my iPhone for no reason. So this act of unlocking your identity with your thumb almost became a natural muscle memory that almost behaves like a reflex motor response.

3. HOW WOULD THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION AND ADAPTATION APPLY?

Natural human behavior evolves as the society and culture change over period of time. Some become extinct while some others get born. Some become standardized that we don’t need an instruction anymore while other things start requiring extra manual for people to understand.

“One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.”  

- Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species -

4. WHAT WILL BE THE NEW NORMAL. STANDARD. AND ORDINARY?

In the future, would buying groceries through your app become a default “standard” rather than actually going to a grocery store? would the future “best friend” be determined by how many messages you send monthly and how many likes you give to each other?

Would our future generation learn about the current physical shopping carts from history book as the “Origin of the shopping cart?”

Like we learned about the origin of language from our history book?

5. THEN WHAT IS THE NEXT HUMAN EVOLUTION STAGE?

We are familiar with this human evolution illustration that we were taught in our biology class. So how would this evolution illustration proceed and represented when our future generation are taught in the biology class in the future?

Would we be the followers instead of leaders of making changes? Maybe we will develop a giant thumb?

What will be the next discovery of tool, fire, and revolution?

6. AND MY LAST WONDER :

It is clear that a single technology could change the entire human behavior and history, and that impact seems to become more tangible and consumable as technology and human beings become inseparable. So let’s think about all the small things we create on a daily basis, and big things we innovate on a decade basis. The ripple effect. What would be the end of the ripple effect generated from today?

So, what do we want our next evolution to be?

What do we have to do in order to create that future?

AND WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY?