An open question, related to cyberpunk culture.
Considering the possibilities of current social-engineering as used by social media and desinformation, to what degree ido you think it is now possible to ‘implant’ fake memories into somebody’s consciousness, without that person noticing it.
Like most of Philip K. Dick’s science fiction, it’s become increasingly plausible.
“I’m not Hauser! I’m just trying to enjoy a holiday on Mars!” - Douglas Quad, Total Recall
Well, for some time now, I have this question in the back of my mind: is cyberpunk still the future or has it become reality.
The photo-album on our smartphone has become our individual memory, stored on somebody else’s computer (“the cloud”). Our photos on social media have become our collective memory, which determines how other people interact with us, based on algorithms controlled others.
In 2024, is your memory still your own memory?
I mean, mine is. But only because I’m a paranoid old bastard with serious Cybersecurity know-how.
I’m not sure how the rest of y’all cope with the uncertainty.
That said, they definitely added that bullshit squiggle to the Ford logo pretty recently, and changed how “Bernstein Bears” is spelled. There’s no way that’s actually been like that my whole life.