Faces of the Future

The silver screens flashed at midnight as they sat in the dimmed room. “Happy New Year!”

The girls of Iota Delta Iota Omicron Tau that didn’t go back home raised their glasses of sparkling cider as they celebrated the arrival of 2050. Banti77, 4Donna4, and Kar3n stayed in a room at their sacred sorority house on the campus of The University of Mid Southwest Coastal Florida. As part of this well-bonded sisterhood, they shared holidays and many conversations about the past and the future.

“I remember,” Banti77 mused, “how my grandma described life before cellular implants. I can’t imagine life without my cell implant. She said cells were banned in school. Cell phones, she called them.”

Kar3n’s face scrunched up. “Then how did they access their knowledge content?”

Banti77 answered, “Evidently they sat in a room and person lectured for hours.”

“Oh, that sounds horrible. No cafés and snacks? No sofas?”

4Donna4 chimed in, “I got a new CI in my left arm last week. Seven centimeters this time.” The other girls admired her glowing arm, her skin still red and swollen from the implant procedure. “The new Bluetooth.4 charger they put into my neck didn’t hurt at all this time. No wires.”

Kar3n asked, “How’d they get that to fit in your little arm? You’re so thin.”

“Easy,” 4Donna4 beamed. “They inserted a carbon expander between my radius and ulna. It’ll take a few months for the pain to go away.” She looked down at her arm. “But what a difference it makes. So much better than the last one. The Ultra HD 16 is incredible. At this rate, I don’t know what 2080 will look like. Can you imagine?”

“Does it have the new transdermal surround sound?” Kar3n asked.

“No. But my next one will,” 4Donna4 answered. “Those are really expensive. My parentals can’t afford it this time around.”

Banti77 glanced at her obscured screen. “I have to get a replacement soon. My veins are starting to grow under the plexiglass.” Her face lit up with excitement. “Hey, go on Xintachat. 5Garander5 is on. Look at his forehead. He’s had that redone in the last week.”

The girls examined their arms. “Oh my god, you’re right!” 4Donna4 exclaimed, “check out Minterf0x. Her face is so much better now that it’s symmetrical. She probably went to that surgeon in New York. He’s supposed to be the best in the country. And to think that started out as some kind of SnipChat Dysmorphia, they called it, back in the 20s, I think. Maybe a few years earlier. Faces matching filters is better than filters changing faces.”

Kar3n crossed her legs on the sofa and corrected her, “Snap. Snapchat. My grandparents used that and something called Instagram. They had platforms named after birds and butterflies. I like Xintachat better than CyZan7bot and Poshgram. Which one do you like best?”

4Donna4 replied, “Poshgram all the way. My brother uses ScorNutV5, but he’s more into sports.” She set her empty glass down on the table. “Life before socias must have been unbearably boring.” The screen in her arm changed and glowed with various photos. “My parents just laugh and think we’re maladjusted.”

“I hear ya,” Banti77 agreed. “I have more followers since President JonnyB was elected. I’m so glad we finally switched to voting on our CIs last year. Hard to believe that we once had to vote using paper.”

“Ballots,” Kar3n laughed. “They’re called ballots. Didn’t you study your history? Or did you just skip that implant altogether?”

4Donna4 checked her CI. “It’s nice to be part of history. JonnyB is the first Influencer to be elected. I couldn’t believe he won the popular vote. I’m just happy that the 28th Amendment was passed establishing the age of our presidents to be from 21-35 years old. Having old crones determining the future of a country they won’t be alive for was holding us back.”

Banti77 scoffed, “Of course he did. He’s got the biggest following here in the US. Probably the world as well. Though after he had his eyes redone to appeal to the Asian demographics, I wasn’t sure if he was going to keep his lead.” She readjusted the screen in her arm as it softly buzzed.

Kar3n poured herself some more cider. “I’m thinking about changing my major from Social Celebrity to CryoAdverts. Nothing like marketing after death. I just don’t feel like having another facial procedure done for my final thesis. My face is already beginning to reject the last change-up.”

“Good move,” 4Donna4 nodded in agreement. “The classes in Pediatric CyberCare are challenging, but there’s more money in it. Today’s kids are getting their facial reconstructions and CIs earlier. Some as earlier as 3 months prenatal. That’s some tricky surgery.” She was reminded of some things her grandfather had displayed over the holidays. “My grandfather showed me an original iPhone XS Max. It even had the charging cord with it that plugged into the wall. He collects all kinds of antiques.”

“Charging cord? Why didn’t they just use the charging receptors in their necks? It’s so much easier. There are charging stations everywhere. My grands can’t believe how easy it is to recharge our CIs now.” Kar3n sipped her cider. “Sometimes I can’t believe the stories our grandparents tell us. Back in 2018 they had handheld phones that they’d set down and misplace all the time. In our own arms - they're impossible to lose. And their social media influencers had boring faces. That had to be awful to watch.” She touched the back of her neck. “No surgeries, either. And they didn’t have Socials like today. That’s America’s top export now.”

“They had to actually pay for service, too, without using crypto.” 4Donna4 added. “Too bad the government didn’t provide it free like they do today.”

Banti77 was lost in thought as she considered what 4Donna4 said. A grain of understanding was starting to form. She watched 4Donna4 and Kar3n staring at their arms. She thought to herself, why IS the government paying for this? What do they have to gain? But then her arm buzzed again, and she lost track of her straying thoughts.

Kar3n stated, “When I get my CryoAdvert certification, I’ll be able to market Socials throughout their lifetime and afterwards. I don’t care much for the adverts they use today.”

“Do you think,” Banti77 glanced at her glowing arm, “that Socials will ever go out of style?”

Kar3n mulled that over and replied, “Are you kidding? This is the future. Socials are here to stay, and that’s how I plan to make a living. They tried passing laws way back in 2025 to take Socials away from kids. What a silly idea. We can’t afford NOT to have them. This is 2050. It’s time to realize what’s truly important in life.” They raised a toast of cider again saying “To the future!” as they continued watching the glow of the new year on their arms, eerie blue lights illuminating the darkness all around them.