Humanity, That NPC of Flesh and Bone
At first, I didn’t care.
Just another weirdo trend, I thought,
Some TikTok thing to keep the mainstream media busy During summer — when even the flies seem bored.
But yesterday, it hit me.
Bam! Revelation:
These TikTokers embodying NPCs
– those video game characters programmed
to endlessly repeat the same actions, the same lines…
It’s the tip of the iceberg that awaits us
— the first step towards the popular acceptance
of a total fusion between human and machine.
The year 2023 presents us with a world
where we’ve become creatures both real and virtual,
lost in a pre-metaverse universe ruled by fleeting fame and money…
As long as the algorithms are duly followed 😉
And there, in my Own Little World, I Wondered: what Defines Humanity in 2023?
Imagine a world where humans transform
Into video game characters, programmed to endlessly
Repeat the same actions, the same lines.
Actions that, in return, are rewarded with virtual treats
— Convertible into very real money.
This is the “NPC content” phenomenon on TikTok,
A trend that exploded like fireworks in a pixel sky.
These human avatars, like Montreal’s Pinkydoll,
Have become the faces of this strange trend.
They not only imitate specific characters but adopt
A generalized, predictable, repetitive NPC personality.
And they’re not the only ones.
The fashion folks on Instagram
— It’s as if they’ve swallowed an augmented reality pill.
Gone are the days of just posing
In front of a mirror or in a chic setting.
Today, it’s like diving into a video game
— They position themselves as game characters,
Like the Sims, and showcase their outfits with a touch of digital magic…
Imagine this: a guy or girl,
Standing still, and HOP!
Their clothes change as if by magic, as if an invisible hand,
Straight out of a game console, selected outfits from a digital inventory.
It’s a fascinating spectacle, a total delirium
That blurs the boundaries between reality and virtual world.
And this trend isn’t just a fantasy, it’s a statement.
Fear of AI? No, the Desire!
We fear AI, say it will replace us.
But in reality, we envy it.
We want to be like it:
Predictable, efficient, flawless.
We engage in ethical-philosophical debates
About whether AI can be creative,
But in the meantime…
Human beings choose to become NPCs,
While AI is getting closer and closer
To what made us human.
Pop Culture as a Distorting Mirror • The Pop Question of the Era: Is it a Stylish Human or an Ultra-Trendy Video Game Character?
We’ve entered an era where the definition of humanity
Is as changeable as the pixels on our screens.
We manipulate our reality as if it were a video game,
We create avatars, we live through screens.
We wonder what makes us human,
But the answer is right before our eyes:
We’ve become hybrids, half-human, half-digital,
in search of sustenance in a pre-metaverse world…
What was once considered grotesque, ridiculous,
“SUPER-CRINGE”, has transformed into a gold mine
the moment it started to fill pockets.
The real question will be whether we are diluting our human essence,
or simply reshaping it, refashioning it in the image of our digital era.
Anyway, we’d better hold on,
Because we’re about to make a quantum leap into the unknown,
A no-return trip into the future, mainly with Zuckerberg’s META.
“First Interview In The Metaverse” • Lex Fridman – Mark Zuckerberg
