Generation A by Douglas Coupland
Sigmund Freud argued that it’s our memories that make us unhappy – remove the past and we have no further reason for anxiety.
In Douglas Coupland’s new book Generation A, he describes a future where we have removed anxiety by removing the future. His new drug SOLON delivers users into a pure state of newness…no past, no future…just NOW.
In Generation A, Coupland comments on society’s move to newness – the world we are starting to inhabit - the world of always on, continuous emotional update, hyper news, where nothing exists apart from now. Global fads are invented, embraced as the answer to everything, and forgotten about in 24 hours. Really Important campaigns for Christmas Number Ones are headline news then gone in an instant. People get up earlier and earlier to make sure thay have not missed out on Facebook sensations. People get up earlier and earlier to create Facebook sensations. Email must be accessible all the time, anywhere.
Life is good in the now – you are permanently entertained, permanently emotionally fulfilled, continuously aware of everyone….you just have to react – LOLZ
Image used under Creative Commons - www.flickr.com/photos/hotpixelaction/
Many religions aim to deliver their followers to a state of perpetual bliss – a place of now forever. Borrowing from this, Utopian / Distopian sci-fi futures also remove the need for food or bodily functions – just climb in your pod, plug in and experience the now with no distractions….and when you die, just hand over to your self-learning neural networked AI, fully charged up with an eternity of ROFL’s, WTF’s, FTW’s and FAIL’s.
So…welcome to the future….the future is NOW…there is no future….and we will all be very happy.
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Sounds like a good read. I also like the photo of the Mr T. statue, bring on generation T.
really digging your take on this.
great stuff.
I loved this book. Thought provoking.
Sounds like a really interesting read.
You could argue that, now more than ever, we are less engaged with the here and now. We’re so eager to take photos for Facebook, send an amusing tweet, or post a status update about what an ACE time we’re having, that often we’re not just appreciating the moment for what it is.
We’re too busy worrying about showing everyone else what a good time we’re having that we’re not actually having a good time…
Perhaps?