Imagine building a phone that’s thinner, faster, cheaper, and smarter every year. That’s not magic — it’s a concept called ephemeralization, coined by inventor and futurist Buckminster Fuller (Buckminster Fullerene, anyone?). It refers to the ability of technology to do more and more with fewer resources over time.
Think about how much power is packed into your smartphone today. It replaced cameras, calculators, radios, and even maps — all in one small device. That’s ephemeralization in action. The same goes for modern farming, which now uses fewer workers and less land to grow more food than ever, thanks to automation and genetics.
This idea gives us hope: that human progress doesn’t always mean using more — it can mean using smarter. As innovation continues, ephemeralization could help us solve problems like energy use, food scarcity, and even climate change by shrinking our impact while boosting output.
It’s a reminder that less isn’t just more — sometimes, it’s everything.
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