There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart’s desire. The other is to gain it.
― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman
Imagine a world where every device is broadcasting a signal with a message that is tailored to your desires. A pop machine senses you are nearby and displays on a LED screen an offer of a Diet Dr. Pepper (your favorite). The parking meter identifies your car, checks national identity records to see if you qualify to park there and then reads the smart credit card in your wallet and deposits enough money to cover parking for a football game you plan on attending. Finally when you return home, the house lights go on, the garage door automatically opens and the television accesses Netflix with the latest movie you been seeing ads for that are programmed expressly for you.
In July 2014 Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced an always-on digital 6th sense named LTE–D. It uses include discovery services that will employ device-to-device technology to broadcast messages to receptive components in the immediate proximity, potentially offering exclusive values to nearby prospects.
This is not the future we’ve dreamed about; it is the reality of our age. All of these devices are available now or on the wish list of the neighborhood supermarket deli manager. It pretends to be just another means of marketing.
Every Move You Make, Every Step You Take, The World Will Be Watching You
As we descend into a digital version of The Truman Show, everything you hear or see is customized to appeal to your desires. Your normal becomes the standard! Suddenly your world is rosy and well ordered. It’s like shopping on Amazon where your desires are anticipated based on past purchases, or like Netflix – where viewing suggestion are offered specifically for you based on your searches and downloads.
This future, based on positive affirmation featuring your thoughts and deeds, offers the potential fragmentation of society into like social groups usurping the need of greater consensus. National identities may disappear, replaced by legions of digital tribes loosely affiliated to their preferred browsers, browsers that set the standards and rules as to what is truly important and relevant.
It appears digital freedom comes with a price and that price may be virtual enslavement.