My feeling is not that we are moving towards a complete collapse of civilisation, but instead move closer and closer to the distopian world of of Gibson and cyberpunk.
W. Gibson, N. Stephenson or David Brin (his earth is a highly recommended read) are certainly people I would never bet against in a long bet. The predictive power of some science fiction is fascinating. I always wondered if it is the books that predict the future or if they are the shaping it, by becoming part of culture.
I'll leave a differing opinion on Earth. It was the least favourite book that I've read last decade. Felt like some childish revenge fantasy to me. It's been many years now, and I'm still annoyed by it.
W. Gibson, N. Stephenson or David Brin (his earth is a highly recommended read) are certainly people I would never bet against in a long bet. The predictive power of some science fiction is fascinating. I always wondered if it is the books that predict the future or if they are the shaping it, by becoming part of culture.