this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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Imagine if 20 years ago you wrote a sci-fi story where people spend a most of their time staring into rectangular devices that sends information that corporate controlled AIs decided they should be seeing. After staring at these rectangles for too long, people become angry and paranoid. Sometimes hypnotized to the point where some people commit mass murder or try to destroy their own democratically elected government.
If you wrote that story 20 years ago it wouldn't be published because it would be too unbelievable. But here we are.
Not to say it's exactly the same plot, but Brave New World was published in 1932. Seems that writing too close to the near future is not great for sales, but far enough out and you've got a great novel, and readers will appreciate the vision and warnings it gives.
And then fall for the trap anyway.
The iPhone came out in 2007, about 16 years ago. Blackberries were popular, it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch. But 30 years ago? Yeah probably