Linked-in 2050
The future is over-subscribed.
2050 C.E.
Every aspect of life on Planet Earth has been commodified. There are no longer sovereign national governments. There are continental blocs, governed by oligarchies of technology corporations which control every resource, including humans.
You have a subscription for access to clean air. Real sunlight. Rations of water (recycled, desalinated, or—for the absurdly rich—fresh).
Real biodiversity no longer exists anywhere, after the planet’s natural ecosystem collapsed around 2030. Everything is optimised and controlled—“for your safety”.
There is no wilderness, only urban environment and wasteland. Exposure to nature can be accessed, via subscription, by the minute, in artificially grown and maintained ‘green spaces’.
The licit economy operates, for the most-part, on a single global currency of credits.
The licit and illicit economies are bridged with another currency: advertising. If you can’t afford to cover your basic needs, you can consume a certain amount to earn credits.
This is not done only through eyes and ears—it is uploaded directly into your brain through a neural link. The experience is visceral, engaging all of your senses. You cannot look away. It is a fully immersive 4D experience that takes you out of reality and into Brandland: you are now linked-in.
Advertising, art and entertainment are now synonymous. There is no art without commercial intent. Artists are brand employees. Entertainment is wholly funded and produced by the techno-state.
The wealthier you are, the more advertising you can avoid, the higher the quality of what you can’t. Choose-your-own-brand-sponsored-adventure.
For some, it’s a choice. An escape. A guilty pleasure.
For others, an act of obeisance.
For most, it’s survival.
Since humanoids have replaced much of the workforce, large swathes of the population are unable to earn a living in any other way, relying solely on ad-credits.
Even the most basic virtual branded worlds are compelling—nicer than everyday existence for most. More colourful. More vibrant. Everyone is happy. Everything is perfect. There is no nuance. No complexity. But there is a cost.
Spend too much time linked-in and your sense of self begins to disintegrate.
Eventually, you forget the real world exists. Then you are permalinked, your mind enslaved to BigTech.
There is a blackmarket trade in these lost minds, or those vulnerable to it. They can easily be traded, ‘plugged in’, and used to obtain credits…
This speculative fiction is a companion piece to my previous essay:
I’m continuing to explore the future of brand and ethics in my next piece in this series, about religion, community and the seeking of uncommodified spaces.
deeply depressing 🥴