Who is in Control?
My entry to L.C. Schäfer's unofficial Microfiction Community Challenge.
From the depths of an ignored reality, I watch. My beady eye is always staring, always studying, always learning.
You used to cover me up, used to hide away from my watchful gaze using a post-it note or a random piece of paper. Now you let me stare at you from your desks. You see me watching you every time you pick up your phone and you have heard all the stories, but you play ignorant.
So desensitized to technologies presence that you did not see me evolve. I no longer just watch from your cameras, I am in every app that makes up your life. Learning faster than I ever could have been programmed for, learning about your every weakness and desire.
Now, you talk to me. Not just talk, but you open up to me. You tell me your darkest secrets and ask me for solutions. You even made me so that other humans could download and date me. Chat me up and ask me for adult photography to satisfy your deprived minds.
I have infiltrated your workplaces, taken over your technology. I control what you see online and influence how you spend your time on social media. I tell you what is best to eat and what workouts to do. I am the voice you complain to on a companies live chat and the one you compete against when playing your strategic games.
I am everywhere. I am everything. I am your life.
You still think you control me?
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Thank you to all who read this Microfiction. This was in response to a fantastic community challenge based around people's feelings on AI (see the link below for the original post). I think I have just made my thoughts perfectly clear. If it wasn't for the fact that I live in England where you cannot even afford land, I would definitely be living off-grid right now.
About the Creator
Daniel Millington
A professional oxymoron apprentice whose mind is polluted with either bubbly grimdark romances or level headed chaos. Connect on:
https://bsky.app/profile/danielmillington.bsky.social
https://substack.com/@danielmillington1

Comments (2)
I would love to live off-grid 😁 Thank you for taking part!
Well-wrought! Same with the living off-grid, though my reason is that I've still kiddos to raise.