What dystopia tells us about... us
As a dystopian future only heard of in science fiction films inches closer and closer to becoming our new reality, sci-fi writers such as Margaret Atwood, Ray Bradbury and George Orwell, along with movies like The Matrix and Blade Runner 2049, are proving themselves to be somewhat predictors of the future.
In The Matrix, a reality exists where humans are trapped within a simulation, controlled by machines that use brain chips to harvest energy while hiding the true, bleak reality. This concept of the technology-mind connection is uncannily familiar to what is happening in our reality. Technology companies can take some of the blame for the worrisome increase of control—Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a device intended for individuals with cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); is a small chip planted in the brain by robots to aid patients in movement using technology to detect brain waves. Three Neuralinks have been planted, with competitor Synchron's implantation of 10 more.
Art by Kayman Mangan
The MIT Technology Review underscores Musk’s efforts in technology development.
“It’s no secret that Musk is interested in using his chip to enhance the mind,” the review said.
Political, economic and social trends in our society continue to be eerily predicted by dystopian fiction. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury warns readers of the potential dangers that censorship and technology can bring. In Bradbury’s dystopia, censorship and the overuse of technology were the downfall of society. Similarly, in our reality, the push by the US Congress to ban the popular social media app TikTok sparks speculation that the US is unfairly censoring Americans under the guise of “prevent[ing] foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel,” as Maria Cantwell of the Senate Commerce Committee put it.
This also brings about the issue of surveillance capitalism, which refers to an economic system where personal information and data are collected without explicit consent, and then used for profit. This echoes George Orwell’s cautionary tale 1984, in which the totalitarian government has total control over its citizens, manipulating information while spreading fear and propaganda. Similarly, today's technology companies are known for their algorithms, which manipulate user information, leading to influenced political views. Google, Facebook and Amazon all participate in surveillance capitalism, gathering data for targeted advertising while molding user behavior. The Party in 1984 monitors civilians openly—these tech companies often operate invisibly, but are just as powerful.
As dystopian fiction is becoming increasingly and frighteningly relevant, no one knows what the future holds for our developing world. Although we can take advice from the warnings written by Atwood, Bradbury, Orwell and so many more, countless new inventions and capitalistic views leave us standing on the precipice of a future where the line between science fiction and reality will only become more and more blurred.
