Charlie Brooker Knew

Charlie Brooker knew.

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They look at the screen, at the boxes on the screen. Each box contains a face and each face exhibits a smile or a pout. Each face is static. There is no movement, no emotion. Some boxes have pictures of flowers, or food, or a car. These are the people who want to be their friends, but think they are not beautiful enough. Not beautiful enough to be virtually real.

Friends.

His girlfriend is in the room, but they have not had a conversation for days. They have said good morning what do you want for breakfast for lunch for dinner please hold the baby, but they have not spoken of feelings, or plans or physical life for days. They are shadows, sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, holding laptops, holding phones, holding tablets. Their baby gurgles whilst kicking toys and their cameras post evidence to the world. The baby grows bored and cries. Its parents sigh and type that they will be right back.

laugh out loud.

And when she flirts with a virtual friend of a friend, and when he finds it, he says nothing. The virtual world is everything but they can still pretend it means nothing.

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They sit next to each other, no tangible mood or excitement, no rolling on the floor laughing, like it used to be. They laugh with their virtual world and their virtual world laughs at them.

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When they feel miserable, they tell the others, for hugs. They save lives of dogs and babies simply by liking horrific pictures; they feel no need to give to charity.

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Their shopping comes from this inter-world, using virtual cash. They choose clothes using a virtual model of themselves. They send soft pink light to people who feel sad.

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They watch life through a camera lens, then edit it to make it more beautiful. They smile together, but only because their friends will see. At the core of their lives sits a black box with blue, blinking lights. People will die but might not be missed in this virtual world.

Someone has implied that some people have forgotten there is a real world out there.

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Karina Evans

Image: The Week