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Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
Not really. Those of us who have been alive and aware of technology for some time have seen a lot of "inevitable" technology fall by the wayside. CD-ROMs, HD-DVD, video-on-demand, Minidisc, .NET, the Apple Cube, Linux on the Desktop, the Paperless Office....
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It clearly shows the inevitable acceptance of better technology. Better means better in all practical aspects, not what some corporate dudes is trying to push in market.
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It's a mistake to look only at the winners and on that basis proclaim that technological progress, let alone a specific item, is an "inevitable" winner.
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I wasn't thinking about any particular device but the technology X that is better than paper. Currently e-readers are better than paper only for a limited segment.
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Plus, he's looking at a larger context. In many cases, it's not the technology itself that is driving social changes; in many cases, it's social changes that make a technology possible to flourish.
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He is confusing technology with technology development. Definitely, there are many social reasons which push societies to become more innovative or stagnating. But once technology is there (cheap, accessible and convenient), there is nothing you can do to stop its proliferation. Nowadays even homeless and illiterate people in India may have cell phones even though they would not be allowed to enter most shops that sell them.