Dystopian LOLs

Life is grim, the world is dark, and the future is murky, at best. So why not simply laugh at it?

It’s easy to be scared by what’s happening, or what is to come. At times - OK, most of the time - it feels positively dystopian. 

Take our society-wide addiction to dopamine and convenience. Through a rational lens, it screams ‘slow collapse of late-stage capitalism’. But instead of succumbing to that creeping terror, why not watch this video of Zoomers trying apps that enable people to fake-shop and fake-order food. 

The apps are big in South Korea, apparently, and are meant to provide a rush of dopamine without actually having to do or buy anything. Are these actual adults responding publicly in the same way a child might do to a plastic phone or microwave? Yes, and that is objectively funny.

Or how about drone deliveries? They’ve long been a typical representation of utopia in science fiction, and now here they are. The future is here! The future is being chased by a middle aged woman in a dressing gown! The future is hovering over a swimming pool and depositing your package into the water with a perfect plop! The future is soggy.

But of course, these examples pale in comparison to the World Humanoid Robot Games. Do yourself a favour and go and watch a few videos. Like this one or this one. We won’t even be offended that you clicked away. 

Again, seeing the pace at which these machines are improving could be terrifying. Tiangong Ultra, for example, beat Usain Bolt’s 100m sprint record by 0.19 seconds. Of course, it then slammed full speed into a gym mat and fell backwards, a sight that would definitely help the Olympics declining viewing figures.

Could these budding autonomous athletes be our future overlords? Quite possibly. But until that moment, let’s all revel in the hilarity of robot dancers resembling a toddler that’s found the liquor cabinet. It may be the only thing keeping us sane.