One Scary-Ass Look into the Future: External Rewards and Jesse Schell’s Amazing Lecture

For a scary look into our future, spend 28 minutes watching (or at least listening to) this video from the .

Are we really predestined to be tracked, every move we make, every step we take?

And is that really a bad thing, if it is done with our best interests in mind?

For anyone who has seen The Minority Report, we cringe at the idea that The GAP will recognize us when we enter their stores and start asking about our previous shopping items and recommending new shopping items.

And anyone who has seen Idiocracy will fear the idea that we will be guided like lemmings over the cliff of commercialization.

But, as Jesse Schell mentions in the video, what about the ?  It keeps track of our activities (granted, only when we’re using the game), and we feel rewarded by our score, but we’re (subliminally?) also being rewarded with improved health!

And, another quote from the video, what about the that has in its dashboard display a virtual tree that grows more leaves when you drive using less gas?  You feel good because your tree is healthy with lots of green leaves, but our planet is also being improved because you’re pumping less CO2 into the air, right?

So, is this tracking a bad thing, or could it possibly be used to make our lives better?

I guess it’s our choice…

Happy thinking,
Atg

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