Does "World, Incorporated" remind you of other Dystopias?

[AngharadB]

I have seen some parallels with George Orwell's 1984 or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Agent Sliver mentions the Registry, a huge database the supercorporations use to gather information about consumers’ habits. Regardless of the incredible amount of data about each and every individual, dystopian societies such as this are doomed to fail, considering the disregard for personal freedom or human emotions and feelings. Hopefully, the supercorporate world in this novel will ultimately disintegrate. What I am really scared of is the alternative. Agent Sliver might completely submit the same as Winston in Orwell’s 1984 or go mad the same as John in Huxley's Brave New World.

Yes, I thought the same about the similarities with 1984.

[holsam_87]

This book relates to a lot of dystopian novels like 1984 and even a lot of dystopian movies like Blade Runner.

[Lizzie Robinson]

I honestly did not feel that this was that major of a dystopian society, unless you consider the modern era a dystopia. Society as a whole is not fearful for their lives nor are they severely suppressed and quieted (this is based on the definition of a dystopia from the Merriam-Webster dictionary). Yes, the registry does store information on each person, including shopping habits, but that is easily done with the internet and cookies from websites. Sure, you might delete your cookies every few months, but during that time the data from those cookies could be downloaded in another person's database, where you cannot delete the information from.

This post aptly summarises my thoughts on the world in this book. A lot of what’s going on, while obviously in a futuristic setting, seems so similar to what’s already happening that it seems less like a warning about what could happen in society if we continue on this path and more like a commentary on what is happening now. The comments are still interesting (if sometimes a little bluntly put) but I don’t quite get the same vibe that I do from dystopian stories that I’m fond of.

[Marissa Michael]

This book is kind of a futuristic book to me that I can see the resemblance of this with George Orwell's '1984' book and slightly in 'The Handmaid Tale' by Margaret Atwood, where a democracy country of America turning to be an oligarchy country.

Maybe we are actually living in a dystopia reality. This can be noticed with the terrorism actually take place in many countries, how many of our data are stored which will enable the intelligence to take advantage of them if they want to etc...but a democracy country to turn oligarchy? I shudder at the thought of it and I'm sure it is also the same to most people who live in democratic countries. Plus, this book made me think of the New World Order.

[Bianka Walter]

I honestly did not feel that this was that major of a dystopian society, unless you consider the modern era a dystopia. Society as a whole is not fearful for their lives nor are they severely suppressed and quieted (this is based on the definition of a dystopia from the Merriam-Webster dictionary). Yes, the registry does store information on each person, including shopping habits, but that is easily done with the internet and cookies from websites. Sure, you might delete your cookies every few months, but during that time the data from those cookies could be downloaded in another person's database, where you cannot delete the information from.

This post aptly summarises my thoughts on the world in this book. A lot of what’s going on, while obviously in a futuristic setting, seems so similar to what’s already happening that it seems less like a warning about what could happen in society if we continue on this path and more like a commentary on what is happening now. The comments are still interesting (if sometimes a little bluntly put) but I don’t quite get the same vibe that I do from dystopian stories that I’m fond of.

I agree. It's a little too close to the truth to be considered dystopian. As well as the fact that dystopias are supposed to be worlds depicted that are considerably worse off than what we are now. I don't think this is necessarily worse off.

[Beth KG]

World Incorporated reminds me of the universe as depicted in the SyFy TV series Dark Matter. There, corporate interests are more powerful than governments, and are still in pursuit of profits.

Do you see parallels with other dystopian societies you have read about or seen in movies? Perhaps in works of Phillip K. Dick or Ursula Le Guin?

I don't watch a lot of TV and haven't seen Dark Matter. World Incorporated shares some qualities with other Dystopian fiction that I have read but it stands alone in my mind insofar as to the evolution of current events that it includes and builds upon.

[FictionLover]

This book is kind of a futuristic book to me that I can see the resemblance of this with George Orwell's '1984' book and slightly in 'The Handmaid Tale' by Margaret Atwood, where a democracy country of America turning to be an oligarchy country.

Maybe we are actually living in a dystopia reality. This can be noticed with the terrorism actually take place in many countries, how many of our data are stored which will enable the intelligence to take advantage of them if they want to etc...but a democracy country to turn oligarchy? I shudder at the thought of it and I'm sure it is also the same to most people who live in democratic countries. Plus, this book made me think of the New World Order.

Yes, it is futuristic, but I think the Handmaid's Tale is so much more personal. Those women are basically reproductive slaves, while in World Incorporated you do not get an idea that anything like that is happening.

[FictionLover]

This book relates to a lot of dystopian novels like 1984 and even a lot of dystopian movies like Blade Runner.

When the book opens with the Chrome Wind, which seems like a spaceship but is really a flying car, I thought of the Bladerunner flying police car.

[Joe Hadithi]

The government apparatus in 1984 where you are constantly fed information made to look as if everything is perfect certainly.

[kdstrack]

I am amazed to see how many books and movies are coming out with this theme (nudging??). The idea of the constant surveillance and conforming to the mob, "for the good of the society," is common to all. The interesting point in these is that everyone is trying to escape Big Brother, so the utopian society is not all it is hyped up to be. These are a few of the long list: The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, The 5th Wave, Elysium, The Island.....

[Bianka Walter]

I am amazed to see how many books and movies are coming out with this theme (nudging??). The idea of the constant surveillance and conforming to the mob, "for the good of the society," is common to all. The interesting point in these is that everyone is trying to escape Big Brother, so the utopian society is not all it is hyped up to be. These are a few of the long list: The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, The 5th Wave, Elysium, The Island.....

What’s even more amazing is that they are still getting a lot of airtime. Every one of those books and movies that you just mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed reading/watching. Even though the theme is the same, we are somehow managing to make the stories different.
I wonder when it will get old?

[FictionLover]

I am amazed to see how many books and movies are coming out with this theme (nudging??). The idea of the constant surveillance and conforming to the mob, "for the good of the society," is common to all. The interesting point in these is that everyone is trying to escape Big Brother, so the utopian society is not all it is hyped up to be. These are a few of the long list: The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, The 5th Wave, Elysium, The Island.....

Yes, well, a lot of those are YA titles and I think the concepts of conformity and what it means to be human are concepts that go particularly well in that age group. The Hunger Games and the Divergent Series take place after destructive wars and their themes are institutionalized. But I didn't get that same idea from World, Incorporated.

Sci-Fi writers have long written about the effects of technology on society. Going back to I, Robot by Asimov, along with the sociological/political aspects of works like Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein; The Handmaid's Tale, The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven by the awesome Ursula LeGuin.

In literature, the Utopian Society is never all it's hyped up to be.

[FictionLover]

I am amazed to see how many books and movies are coming out with this theme (nudging??). The idea of the constant surveillance and conforming to the mob, "for the good of the society," is common to all. The interesting point in these is that everyone is trying to escape Big Brother, so the utopian society is not all it is hyped up to be. These are a few of the long list: The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, The 5th Wave, Elysium, The Island.....

What’s even more amazing is that they are still getting a lot of airtime. Every one of those books and movies that you just mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed reading/watching. Even though the theme is the same, we are somehow managing to make the stories different.
I wonder when it will get old?

It won't get old, as long as writers create characters that you care about. Unfortunately, Mr. Gariffo is weak in that department.

[kdstrack]

I am amazed to see how many books and movies are coming out with this theme (nudging??). The idea of the constant surveillance and conforming to the mob, "for the good of the society," is common to all. The interesting point in these is that everyone is trying to escape Big Brother, so the utopian society is not all it is hyped up to be. These are a few of the long list: The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, The 5th Wave, Elysium, The Island.....

What’s even more amazing is that they are still getting a lot of airtime. Every one of those books and movies that you just mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed reading/watching. Even though the theme is the same, we are somehow managing to make the stories different.
I wonder when it will get old?

It won't get old, as long as writers create characters that you care about. Unfortunately, Mr. Gariffo is weak in that department.

It won't get old until we are completely immersed in the dystopia. Then we can read books about people who "used to" live free !!!

[FictionLover]

This book is kind of a futuristic book to me that I can see the resemblance of this with George Orwell's '1984' book and slightly in 'The Handmaid Tale' by Margaret Atwood, where a democracy country of America turning to be an oligarchy country.

Maybe we are actually living in a dystopia reality. This can be noticed with the terrorism actually take place in many countries, how many of our data are stored which will enable the intelligence to take advantage of them if they want to etc...but a democracy country to turn oligarchy? I shudder at the thought of it and I'm sure it is also the same to most people who live in democratic countries. Plus, this book made me think of the New World Order.

I don't think we are in a dystopia, yet.

Though I do share your concerns that money and corporate interests are becoming more important to politicians, and the rule of law and the spirit of the constitution are becoming less and less important.