Dystopia or Utopia - What seems more likely for our future?

When it comes to science fiction most stories are naturally set in the future. The franchises of "The Hunger Games" and "Star Trek" are polar opposites of the science fiction genre as they both predict a very different future, one is a dystopian future the other one is a utopian future. But what seems more likely from the way humanity is evolving right now? On one hand we get news about incredible newly developed technology every week and things that 10 years seemed impossible are happening now. On the other hand we are experiencing a global pandemic and global warming is a serious threat to our planet. 
 
Per definition a dystopia is an imaginary place or condition in which everything is as bad as possible. It is often portrayed within a totalitarian or post-apocalyptic society. Sadly in many ways a dystopian future feels realistic when we watch the news. Instead of evolving it seems like we the human race are devolving. Hate crimes of all sorts are on the rise, environmental concerns as pollution and global warming are worsening. We can also see the rift between the rich and the poor in society worsening. In the US for example the rich can afford the best medical care and even experimental procedures, while in some parts of the population diabetics are struggling to pay for their vital insulin. In many ways this is already a dystopia and for someone like me, who has lived all her life in a country with universal health care this in unimaginable. 
 
But not only does the situation in our society point to a dystopian future. If you take a look at the environmental problems it becomes even more evident. Not all of us might understand the scientific explanation behind global warming, but certainly we know our perception. We all notice that each winter there is less snowfall or that our summers are getting hotter and drier. We can also see, at least here in Europe, how the recent split of the polar vortex brought on a cold wave, where there shouldn't be one. 
 
If we take a look at society as portrayed in "The Hunger Games" we must wonder if something like this could happen. No one really knows, especially as we know little as to how that society evolved
(Note: I haven't read the prequel yet. I apologize if I miss something the might have been specified there.).
 
We can assume some major event took place, most likely a war but an environmental catastrophe or a pandemic might also be possible. What we know is that the population was significantly decimated and that resources were scarce. Later we learn a civil war took place due to the inequality between the districts and the capitol. In addition we see a society that is obsessed with looks and reality TV. If you break down the story like that it sounds terribly familiar, which is also why the story is so compelling. Of course it is overdrawn in many aspects, but are we certain we wouldn't reach this extreme? We laugh at the fashion antics in the movies but wouldn't the people from 200 years ago laugh at our fashion which enables us to dye our hair any colour we please? I particular liked the very subtle reference in the last book to body dysmorphic disorder, when Katniss refers to Tigress. This is a serious mental health condition that is affecting more and more people and the obsession with fashion, television and looks doesn't help. 
 
There are countless references throughout dystopian books and movies that show basically what could happen, if we don't know when to stop. In "Altered Carbon" we see people mortgaging their bodies or sleeves. Then people from other planets can travel into those bodies. Again we see an extreme case of where we could end if the rift between the poor and the rich continues to grow. Our obsession with technology is another example. We are feeling incomplete if we forget our smart phone at home or run out of battery. Is it then so far-fetched that someone might come up with the idea to surgically implant it? 
 
The word utopia on the other hand stems from the book by Sir Thomas More. It refers to a place or state where social problems like hunger, discrimination and crime have been eradicated. In a way it is the perfect or ideal society. I know that "Star Trek" is not a perfect society but I believe it is as close as it gets in the genre, especially since a perfect society would probably make for very boring stories. In a way it makes for a realistic utopia, that while it might not be perfect it has solved all the main problems on a large scale. 
 
In the Federation we see a universe where people are tolerant. Nobody is discriminated due to race, gender or sexual preference. It is more humans are actually marrying into races from other planets and usually nobody has an issue with it. Poverty has been eradicated and environmental problems have been largely solved. What is also noticeable is that since poverty is no longer an issue, crime has dropped because people don't feel the need to recur to it, as they aren't desperate. As long as people do their part for society they have everything they need to live comfortably, not matter if they are a cook or a star ship captain. 
 
What is interesting about "Star Trek" is that its history describes the transition from a dystopia to a utopia. We learn that World War III happened and that is lasted 27 years leaving earth in ruins and large parts of the population dead. It took then the first contact with the Vulcans to bring out the best in humanity and finally overcoming poverty, disease and hunger. Humanity also solved earth's environmental issues following this. 
 
Personally I believe that this is once more a point where "Star Trek" got it right. Just as with a disease it has to get worse before it gets better. Humanity has proven to have the ingenuity to solve this world's problems. Just think about how several teams of scientists rose to the challenge of coming up with a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 that is responsible for the current covid-19 pandemic in record time. There are thousands of start-ups coming up with ideas to clean our oceans or find clean technologies. We are at a precarious moment of our history and it is in our power to make sure we don't get stuck at our low point.