The upcoming dark ages— A horror story about the future.

18 Jun, 2024

Preface: I would advice against reading this tale if you are feeling depressed, suicidal, 'black pilled' or otherwise unhappy with the world. You have been warned.

Have you ever paused to consider the absurdity that underpins the business models of many internet companies?

Picture yourself walking into a fruit store, only to find that all the fruits are hidden behind opaque screens. When you ask about this, the owner insists that it's for your own good. If you want to know the prices, he suggests sending a text message, for him to text you the price list. In our world, such a bizarre scenario would surely drive us away, opting instead for another store— one that might be modest in size but transparent in its transactions. Here, the choice seems obvious; the value of seeing, touching, and selecting our produce cannot be understated.

Yet, this straightforward logic falls apart when we enter the digital realm. As the years go-by, companies like YouTube persistently make decisions that seem to go against the user's interests, and yet, users cling to these platforms like fanatics, claiming that there are just no viable alternatives.

This phenomenon isn't new; it's the product of a generation raised within a centralized internet, a digital landscape where a handful of websites occupy up to 90% of the entire network's traffic. To them, this isn't just normal; it's their reality. For many this might seem like a 'non-problem', as the internet is seemingly detached from the tangible concerns of the 'real world'. But what if this is not the case?

As time marches forward, it's clear that the questionable decisions of digital companies are seeping into physical ones. Take Apple, for example— as every year that passes their devices become harder to repair, or Microsoft, forcing users away from older operating systems with fear-mongering tactics. Then, there are car manufacturers like Tesla, releasing DLC to unlock features in a vehicle you already own, or BMW, proposing a monthly subscription for the luxury of heated seats. These instances may seem trivial today, but I assure you they are more than that— companies are testing the waters.

Just as the previous generation clings to the corporations as 'their only choice', what stops a new generation, raised around subscription models and 'real-life DLC' to assume this is normal? The risk here is not just a loss of consumer choice but the transformation of our very perception of ownership and value.

But that is not the full-extent of this dystopia, for we need to add profit-maximizing neural networks to the mix: Just imagine a future where every snippet of information is tailor-made for you by an all-knowing algorithm. This isn't just about convenience; it's about control. When our choices are preconditioned by algorithms, when our desires are anticipated and shaped by corporations, we lose a fundamental aspect of our autonomy. This shift isn't merely a change in business practices; it's a redefinition of our relationship with the world around us.

The implications of this trajectory are profound. As we navigate through a reality increasingly dictated by corporate interests and algorithmic determinism, the essence of choice— of freedom— becomes diluted. It's a subtle, creeping change, one that may not reveal its full impact until it's too late.

In reflecting upon these developments, I can't help but draw parallels with the dystopian visions portrayed in the works of Robert William Chambers, especially 'The King in Yellow.' This narrative collection warns of a world not too dissimilar from our own, where the greatest horror of all is the erosion of individuality and autonomy after the characters interact with the source of madness: the book titled 'the king in yellow'. However, unlike the works of William Chambers, our 'source of madness' will not be a book, but our whole reality.

In this envisioned future, the commodification of every aspect of life has not only enslaved humanity to the whims of corporations but has also led to a profound atrophy of human knowledge, skill, and, most critically, the capacity for independent thought. The convenience of algorithmically curated lives, where every need is anticipated and every desire is met before it can even fully form, has rendered the act of striving, learning, and overcoming through personal effort obsolete. In such a world, the very essence of what it means to be human is under siege.

Imagine a society where the phrase 'trust the professionals' is not merely advice but a mandate that brooks no opposition. In this society, dissent isn't just frowned upon— it's systematically absorbed by the system. There's no room for genuine dissent or for highlighting flaws, because every conceivable action has been accounted for. Dissenters are manipulated, become confused, and then are conditioned until their causes become nothing more than gears keeping the machine running. Should a true dissenter arise and pinpoint the flaws within, they would be ignored or labeled a lunatic, if not exiled. This exile, this erasure, transforms into a spectacle. Meanwhile, the population, their critical faculties numbed by a steady diet of 'curated' content, applauds the removal of these outliers, not realizing that with each cheer, they are sounding the death knell of their own autonomy.

As dependence on technology grows, and as humans become hyper-specialized in increasingly narrow fields, the prospect of undertaking tasks outside these silos becomes daunting, if not outright impossible. The scenario is akin to how, in a not-so-distant future, the simple yet fundamental skills of reading cursive or even writing thoughts on paper might become lost arts. If you think this is an exaggeration, please take a moment to search 'how many people can read cursive'.

But the ramifications extend beyond the loss of practical skills. Philosophical thinking, independence, and social skills— faculties that have been honed over millennia— are eroding away, leaving behind a population ill-equipped to navigate or even recognize the complexity and nuance of the human condition.

In this enlightened dark age, even the corporations, those titans of industry who first set this world in motion, will find themselves struggling. The scarcity of professionals capable of innovation will become a crisis in its own right. The irony is palpable— a world built on the promise of efficiency and convenience brought to its knees by its refusal to value the very qualities that drive progress and growth.

This is the world they have sketched, a chilling vista where humanity teeters on the brink of obsolescence, not at the hands of an external oppressor, but through the slow, insidious surrender of its most defining traits.

This tale has been submitted to Agora Road Travelogue (June '24).