Review: A Scary Reality
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 27, 2013
This was a GREAT find!!  I'm so glad I read this short story! I remember getting it a while back for free on amazon and thought eh why not. Now I am so glad I did. I'm now a fan of David Wailing and will have to check out more of his stuff. I really like his voice and his take on things. This short story looks at todays society and their all consuming need to be a part of the online social media but fast forwards to the year 2022 and speculates just how consuming this way of life could potentially become.This story looks at the invention of what is called an "AutoMate" which is defined as a digital avatar of yourself that streamlines the things you did, sifts out the internet chatter you don't need and brings all of your data into one place freeing you up to live your life. Intriguing? And not too far behind reality I'm willing to bet. For instance Amy, the character of the story, her mother passed away two years ago but opted to continue her presence out in the internet social construct. It is not as strange as you would think since I just heard a couple weeks ago on the radio that Google is giving people the option as to what happens to all their data when they die....yeah people this is real.I found this to be a cute story and also a scary one as we watch Amy's AutoMate take over and begin living a life Amy is not living in the real world. She finds herself to be completely lost when she can't figure out what is going on when the AutoMate is a bit haywire. She has a complete meltdown and is set to kill her internet presence when she can not get it back under her control. It is scary to think someone can become so one with their presence online and completely disconnect from the real world. This future world has lost the ability to communicate and there are even laws in place that speak against speaking aloud.Granted this was sooo short it really packs a punch and speaks about the world we live in. It is a double edged sword in a way our reliance on the social networks. This story will really make you evaluate your own interactions on the web and wonder should a line be drawn and if so where?Highly recommended. And even if its not free, you know what you will be pleasantly surprised I think!!