In the movie ‘Minority Report’, the featured world of the near future is such that wherever you go to, your identity is readily picked up by detectors that read your unique iris pattern. Technology becomes so advanced that the meaning of ‘direct marketing’ is redefined. Say, when you walk by a dynamic billboard… It detects your presence, runs through a datebase with your personal info and hardsells to you about what you specifically ‘should’ buy. There is no escape from the bombardment of advertising blitz.
Are we far from this way of life? I suspect we might not be that far away. Modern passports for instance, are equipped with RFID (Radio Frequency ID) chips. Technically, your presence (with your passport) can be detected by any appropriate equipment in your vicinity. Will governments sell your info to commercial corporations to hardsell to you via RFID detection? Worse still, will governments hardsell their political agendas to ‘brainwash’ you? Time will tell. If you do not muster mindfulness to control your mind well, the advertisers will seize ‘control’, and puppet you to be their ideal customer.
Why all this talk about ‘direct marketing’? Because I already had a few experiences of bad ‘direct marketing’, that is not even personalised properly – upon sitting on the default passenger seat (when alone). When the fare meter starts, a screen behind the headrest of the front seat automatically starts up and a dizzying barrage of flashy ads with attention-grabbing music hit you in the face. Unless you literally turn away, there is no way to ‘turn off’ the ads in your face. The most you can do is hit the mute button. Faced on, there is no total escape from the frenzy of images unless you close your eyes.
Welcome to the brave (but foolish) new world with Weapons of Mass Distraction that are getting increasingly personalised to attack you. They are exactly what we do not need in a world that is overrun by overcomsumption of luxury goods (and foods) that wastes resources and pollutes the environment. ‘Overconsumption’ is now redefined as well… Not only is it about buying too much of what you do not need, it is now also about being forcefed, to overconsume ads, even if you have absolutely no interest in them, being ‘oversold’ about what you ‘ought’ to buy. Join me… Mute the WMD and close your eyes… What you really need is peace of mind within – that is priceless but free, that money cannot buy.
Master your mind[fulness];
or be mastered by mind[lessness].