It’s a “Brave New World"
You may not even know you’re living in it
In Aldous Huxley’s dystopian society, kids have sex yet do not bear children. Babies are born in labs to a certain class predestined for specific jobs. Their creators alter genes and conditioning so that they grow up feeling they are serving their purpose.
…most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution.
― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
Any entertainment suitable to your position in society is available at a moment’s notice. Simple pleasures are frowned upon, especially if they’re free. Even hobbies must generate income through complex equipment and fees. It is indeed a “Brave New World.”
People who cannot conform to society and live differently are dubbed savages. Among other things, they don’t have the luxury of soma, a substance similar to alcohol or drugs but without the negative side effects. The following words of one such “savage” perfectly describe the new society:
You got rid of them. Yes, that’s just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it. Whether ’tis better in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows or outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them…But you don’t do either. Neither suffer nor oppose. You just abolish the slings and arrows. It’s too easy.
― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
Yet while reading the novel, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I am being swallowed into a society of consumerism, immediacy, and technological soma.
Technology = Soma
When you shop alone and stand in line at the grocery store, what do you do? Do you strike up a conversation with a fellow shopper? Most often, the answer is no. You reach for the comfort and escape of your phone and social media.
At home, at work, on the subway, at a red light, or whenever a moment of silence or idleness presents itself, your fingers itch for that technological soma. You stare for a second at that single “savage” on the subway reading a book and return to the oblivion of your phone.
We are no longer mindful, filling up every spare moment with scrolling and surfing, often without purpose. A WhistleOut research study conducted with 1000 users found that, on average, phone use amounts to 3 hours per day. And what do we achieve? Poor sleep quality, rocky relationships, worse mental health, and loss of time.
Former executives from major search engines and social media platforms express their concerns about the addictiveness of social media. “The Social Dilemma” is very real. Corporations pay for ads, targeted at users. Data is tracked to increase scrolling time and viewing time, all of which leads to greater profits for social media and Google through more ads.
The endorphin rush you feel from each additional “like" is very real. It is addicting. When disconnected from that and facing loneliness or boredom, we feel disconcerted and down. Further, any negative comments get amplified through social media and sting that much more.
Like the conditioning of children in “Brave New World,” social media and Google search results are tailored to each individual or region. Ever notice how your Facebook timeline is completely different from your friend’s? Whether information is true or false matters very little. It is presented in such a way as to keep you watching and scrolling and getting “conditioned.”
I, for one, am doing my best to remain true to my “savage" roots, limiting my screen time and staying away from that tempting “soma.”
Targeted Ads = Conditioning
With the advances in online advertising, targeted ads have become the norm. Studies published in the Harvard Business Review show that people’s perceptions of themselves and their behavior are influenced by targetted ads.
One part of the study even found that
…such changes in self-perceptions from behaviorally targeted ads can impact behaviors extending beyond purchase intentions.
In the end, the studies show that targetted ads worked best in moderation just like the scheduled conditioning in “Brave New World.” After all, you don’t want your consumers to “rebel” against you. That wouldn’t bode well for our society as a whole.
Consumerism
Just like in “Brave New World,” we are constantly accosted with ways to spend our hard-earned cash. Aside from regular shopping, there is no shortage of places and ways to keep money circulating in the economy.
Do you need help losing weight? Well, you can consult a nutritionist, a personal trainer, and myriad other specialists who would be happy to take your money. You can also join a gym or other private clubs.
Do you need help unwinding after a long day at work? Well, don’t forget to get some scented candles, lotions, face creams, bubble bath, wine, and all the accessories required for pampering yourself. When did self-care, a necessity if you ask me, become a way for corporations to profit? In reality, self-care could be as simple as calling a friend or watching your favorite movie.
Everywhere you look, every ad you see makes you think that you need to spend money for any given task, even for things that should be free. Consumerism drives our life just as it did for society in a “Brave New World”.
Immediacy
Huxley depicts a society that can get anything they want immediately. There is no anticipation, no longing, no yearning for an item, feeling, or event. Everything is accessible and the sooner you get it the better. It all fuels the consumerism economy. Products are not made to last to help aid this cycle.
In our world of online shopping, products and services are at our fingertips. From Amazon Prime to Uber Eats, you click and pay, and the food or product you’re craving shows up on your doorstep without much delay.
Conclusion
It’s a scary world out there. Whether you’re a “savage” or enjoy the luxuries of this “Brave New World,” you cannot deny the astounding parallels between Huxley’s dystopia and our world today. Less than 40 years from now, genetic defects in babies will be all but eliminated. Gene editing techniques will follow. Will laboratory fetuses be next?
The best we can do is try to delay the process of getting swallowed by this new world as much as possible. Perhaps, in the end, the “savage” in us will triumph.
