What Is and What Could Be

In order for our tech to reach the level of interactivity shown in the sci-fi clips, we would mostly need time. With the Black Mirror example, we are essentially already there. A majority of people now are used to sharing their opinions about people online. The web is so free and open that we generally have a problem with cyber-bullying and doxxing. These are just two ways to attack your online presence (or persona) but once it’s happened you will have a hard time returning to social media just like the girl in the black mirror episode.

The Feed was really interesting because it’s made by Amazon which is already known for somewhat shady privacy practices. A new program called Amazon Sidewalk is something they are implementing in order to connect everybodies Alexa enabled devices. This will end up creating a giant network that doesn’t just bundle the connection of only your devices but your neighbors as well and your neighbor’s neighbor and so on.

Altered Carbon is one of my favorite shows on Netflix, I was extremely excited for the return of Season 2 when it aired. For us to reach the level in interactions for that show, we would need MANY scientific breakthroughs. First, they use rare metal found from special planets and is an ancient spacey element that is then implanted into your spine at age 1 or 2. Obviously, we would need to find the special space metal, but we would also need to perfect brain-stem surgery, and our medical equipment would have to be incomprehensibly advanced.

I think these shows explain the worst possible outcome of capitalism trying to innovate. I would be ok with the life-saving technology offered in Altered Carbon but obviously, the systematic problems with obtaining the materials, and putting a price on the value of someone’s life are things I’d rather avoid. I loved how in the Black Mirror episode the worker was able to defend themselves, so maybe in that world although it’s not executed perfectly well, there is a better standard for how to treat other people.

Bio-tech is inevitable. It would be really exciting to be in a world where money didn’t dictate the advancement of things, instead, I’d like to see advancement coming purely from the need to learn about the universe (and for us to enjoy). This would make installing a chip in my hand not seem so bad.

Based on these shows, I don’t know how any of the technology would work unless we were all opted into sharing every single aspect of our individual self including things we don’t know about ourselves like blood-type. With Altered Carbon everyone could be identified by scanning their stack, it’s really almost as personal as our iPhones are today.

These three shows are commenting on how the present day is currently going. People are obsessed with social media, something that was originally created to make it easier for us to all stay connected now holds a place in our lives similar to the way a magazine did 20-30 years ago in how it influenced the way we see ourselves and the standards we hold other people to. Altered Carbons focus on how the value of life comes from our own political systems that are also paying billions of dollars to continue fracking and destroying the resources we use to stay alive and healthy. Finally, The Feed points out how much we let technology run (and run in) our lives. We are there now, we just don’t have the flashy technology to make the problems ‘exciting’ enough to know they are out there.

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5 thoughts on “What Is and What Could Be

  1. I very much agree with your view that social networks are to facilitate people to connect, not to restrict others’ standards.

  2. I agree with your thinking about biotech. it is inevitable and the purpose of utilizing this technology should be considered carefully

  3. I agree, out of the three sci-fi shows presented here, Altered Carbon is far from reality as the means for “downloading/uploading” our minds is still a hypothetical concept at the moment. But who knows, with the speed of our technology advancing, we might be reaching it sooner than imagined.

  4. I agree with a lot of what you wrote. I didn’t know about the amazon sidewalk thing and am wondering what they plan to do with the connected network. In terms of our future in a society where technology integration is growing exponentially, it comes down to the intentions behind the technologies created as well as the ways they are used.

  5. Altered Carbon was one of my favorite shows on Netflix too! The set design in the show just super intriguing!

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