Imagined Future Scenarios
Social Justice, Probable Futures, Short Term (1 - 3 years)
Scenario Generated from 'Too Close for Comfort' - The New York Review of Books
Future Arc and Implications
Grow Arc
Social Impact: Surface-level activism becomes a trend, diluting genuine engagement with social justice issues.
Technological Impact: AR experiences become increasingly immersive and personalized, driven by consumer demand and data collection.
Ecological Impact: Increased AR device production and energy consumption contribute to e-waste and environmental degradation.
Economic Impact: A booming AR market generates wealth for tech companies, but exacerbates inequalities if access and benefits are unequally distributed.
Political Impact: Governments struggle to regulate AR content and data privacy, potentially leading to censorship or manipulation.
Narrative: AR-driven social awareness grows, but capitalism co-opts the movement, turning it into a consumable commodity.
Collapse Arc
Social Impact: AR systems become unreliable due to infrastructure failures, leading to disillusionment and heightened social divisions.
Technological Impact: Breakdown of power grids and communication networks renders AR technology unusable, hindering activism and awareness efforts.
Ecological Impact: Environmental disasters distract from social justice efforts, focusing attention on immediate survival needs.
Economic Impact: Economic collapse limits access to AR technology, further marginalizing vulnerable populations and amplifying existing inequalities.
Political Impact: Governments lose control, leading to widespread instability and the suppression of dissent.
Narrative: Systemic collapse exposes the fragility of technology-dependent activism, leaving communities fractured and vulnerable.
Discipline Arc
Social Impact: AR is used to enforce social norms and conformity, suppressing dissenting voices and activism.
Technological Impact: AR is weaponized for surveillance and control, tracking individuals and monitoring their engagement with social justice narratives.
Ecological Impact: Environmental concerns are deprioritized in favor of maintaining social control and economic stability.
Economic Impact: AR technology is used to reinforce existing power structures, benefiting elites and suppressing economic mobility for marginalized groups.
Political Impact: Authoritarian regimes use AR to rewrite history and manipulate public opinion, consolidating their power.
Narrative: AR becomes a tool for social engineering, enforcing a sanitized and controlled version of reality.
Transform Arc
Social Impact: AR fosters deep empathy and understanding, leading to transformative social change and collective action.
Technological Impact: Open-source AR platforms empower communities to create and share their own narratives of social justice, challenging dominant perspectives.
Ecological Impact: AR is used to visualize and address environmental injustices, promoting sustainable practices and ecological restoration.
Economic Impact: AR technologies facilitate resource sharing and equitable distribution, challenging capitalist structures and promoting economic justice.
Political Impact: AR empowers citizens to hold leaders accountable and participate in democratic processes, fostering greater political transparency and equity.
Narrative: AR catalyses a collective awakening, sparking a fundamental shift in values and creating a more just and equitable world.