I bet the world seemed like shit in the 20s depression, better post-war in the 40s and scary in the 60s with Vietnam followed by the Cold War. I'm sure the financial crisis is the 80s was worrisome, as was the recession in the 2000s.
None of those eras contended with a world population of 8 billion, where despite improving technology, the general populace was conditioned to have random bullshit they didn't need delivered overnight or have watermelon available in January, or have at least one car for every member of the family over 16. In 1920, humans and their domesticates did not outweigh wild land mammals by 50x as they do today.
There is a tipping point, and our technology is nowhere near where it needs to be to save us from ecological catastrophe. In fact, those at the controls of cutting edge technology appear most concerned with hoarding wealth or consolidating power rather than helping their fellow man or planet in any way.
Watching Elon catch a rocket booster is cool, and I'm sure the iPhone 46 has tons of sweet features, but that doesn't make me feel great about 2050. And this doesn't even begin to address the growing threat of global authoritarianism that will slow any progress that would help the average person.