As cliche and redundant as it sounds, technology is all around us. It is a daily part of our lives and prevalent in practically everything we do — from online learning, to ordering food, to communicating with others. Dubbed “The Stick Republic Of America,” a group of colleagues and I ideated about a world 50 years from now considering the current progression of technology.
Quick Timeline:
“The Stick Republic of America” describes a timeline where after the current COVID-19 pandemic ends, a new strain called the COVID-21 begins. The vaccine for this strain, although effective, causes side effects including sensitivity to artificial light. Moreover, after the vaccine ends the pandemic, people begin using technology less and tech companies begin facing a deficit in online activity. To mitigate this problem, they use AI along with data collected through data mining to take over peoples’ accounts. Furthermore, to solve this sensitivity people had due to the vaccine, tech companies create a neural implant which renders screens and artificial light bearable. This implant also increased serotonin levels and stimulated visuals, making people more addicted to using technology. However, even when people rejoined technology after receiving this implant, the AI did not stop running accounts; furthermore, people began to find troubling posts from the past that were actually written by AI. This results in defamation and people are no longer able to tell the difference between AI generated posts and real ones. Additionally, since people re-integrated into a tech-heavy lifestyle, technology and data are used in other ways to benefit companies such as telemarketing calls imitating the voices of loved ones. This generates mass hysteria regarding whether anything online is a real person or AI. The mass hysteria results in people wanting to get rid of their implants in order to rid themselves of technology. The only way to turn off this neural implant is by inserting a pointed stick up the nose to puncture the blood brain barrier. The hysteria eventually results in a war-like riot in April of 2036. This riot is against internet-based technology and the weapon of choice is a pointed stick, symbolic of the freedom that comes from turning off the neural implant that physically tied people to technology.
Micro-kingdoms:
My colleagues and I each imagined our own micro-kingdoms that resulted from this timeline. For example, the Escapist’s Republic describes people who rejects technology and have enough money to flee the war and live technology-free lives on remote islands. My micro-kingdom is the Hider’s Republic. This Republic describes the section of the population that also rejects technology but does not have enough money to move away. Instead, they are forced into hiding underground as they are scared of the remnants of technology on the surface. Although this reflects a society we created to be 50 years in the future, in many ways this juxtaposition has been seen even very recently. While many wealthy celebrities were able to travel to remote islands during the current COVID-19 pandemic to avoid the virus, low-income communities were forced to stay at home and bunker down in fear of the virus.
Research:
To begin envisioning my micro-kingdom, I did research into finding existing pictures that matched my vision of what this low-income, underground living situation would be like. The best examples came from Black Mirror.
Now understanding a general aesthetic of the living situation, I began thinking about what object this community could have. Knowing my micro-kingdom described an anti-technology, low-income community, I next did research about natural elements that currently exist but seem to have “superpowers.” My research led me to things like bioluminescence, which is a biochemical emission of light, and the lyrebird, which is a bird that is capable of imitating almost any sound. What I ended up choosing as the foundation of my object was vantablack, which is one of the darkest materials, absorbing 99.965% of the light that falls on it, and tardigrades, a micro-animal that is incredibly resilient, withstanding environments from -328 degrees Fahrenheit to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The most interesting element I found in my research about tardigrades is that the protein found in tardigrades when mixed with human cells are able to suppress x-ray induced damage by about 40%.
Prototyping:
I found these two elements to be incredibly useful to the people of my micro-kingdom. I began designing a prototype of my object in Maya. The 3-D renderings are seen above. I wanted the object to be sleek, small, and easy to use.
The top of my object is a vantablack spray. Although the people in my micro-kingdom create an entire underground society, they still need to take trips above ground in order to purchase food and other necessities for survival. Because of vantablack’s incredible absorption rate, people in my micro-kingdom use it as a spray on their faces to avoid detection by face scanners, cameras, and other AI technology when they travel above ground.
The bottom of my object is a needle. The most interesting element I found in my research about tardigrades is that the protein found in tardigrades when mixed with human cells are able to suppress x-ray induced damage by about 40%. This needle on the bottom injects tardigrade DNA which allows the people in my micro-kingdom increased resilience towards scanners and x-rays that would be prevalent in the futuristic, technology-heavy society. This helps the people in my micro-kingdom when they travel above ground as well by allowing them to face the many x-rays from scanners.
After I created this prototype, I wanted to create a video that set the tone for this object by giving an insight into how the people in my micro-kingdom live. I filmed the video in a parking deck. I wanted dim lighting and darker colors to mimic the underground. The person in the video represents a citizen in my micro-kingdom. The video starts off in the beginning with him being above ground and running in order to avoid being spot. He then takes the stairs down to his underground living; when he walks by the camera, he puts his hand against his face to avoid detection by the camera. There are also scenes with a lot of grates and cage-like fences. I wanted to create a feeling of confinement as people in this micro-kingdom are forced to stay underground like they are trapped.
Next Steps in Development:
After hearing feedback from other colleagues I will need to take some questions into consideration for further development. One would be which materials will be used to create the spray and injector. Although my initial thought was plastic, I will need to put additional research into the pricing of different materials. Another consideration is the eco-friendly nature of the object. If every person in my micro-kingdom has one, how could I make this product more eco-friendly? Would it be disposable or refillable? Another aspect of this object I will need to do additional research about is where it would be produced and manufactured. Since the object is very anti-technology as it prevents detection by AI, where would the object be sold? Would it be produced and manufactured underground and only distributed within the micro-kingdom? Or would some type of black market exist? What would be the feasibility of each of these paths? These questions would all need to be though out further with additional research as I continue to develop my micro-kingdom.
Bigger Picture:
Although this “Stick Republic of America” was completely created by my colleagues and I, it is not too hard to imagine this becoming our reality. This dystopian society acts as a warning to us right now. As more objects around us become connected to the internet and articles come out about how our phones and other tech items are listening to us even when we don’t know, it is important for us to all take steps to ensure our privacy and prevent our surveillance. My own micro-kingdom acts as a reminder of how economic inequality results in low-income communities being disproportionately afflicted by crisis such as wars and pandemics. Unlike other micro-kingdoms, the people in my Hiders Republic micro-kingdom were not able to flee from the crisis because they did not have enough money to do so. It is important to remember this right now as the COVID-19 pandemic is still disproportionately affecting low-income communities and countries and we can take steps to do what we can to help — whether this takes the form of monetary donations, helping with vaccine distributions, or volunteering to tutor students who struggle with virtual learning.