Predicting the future is like trying to peer inside a black hole: no one can see what’s inside until one has passed the point of no return—the “event horizon” in astronomy terms. It stands to reason that human beings are compelled to wait for the future to become the present before they can understand it. It is often only with the benefit of hindsight that things are seen clearly.

For example, who could have predicted that a small band of terrorists would bring down an iconic U.S. landmark or that a decade-long war would cause massive up-heaval in the Middle East. From a technological perspective, the ushering in of the modern digital age, symbolized by smartphones and social media, unexpectedly created a global stage on which police conduct can be captured and viewed forever—often with suspicion and mistrust.