A Brief Account of the Last Three Decades

 

Society’s increasing dependence on technology had already started at the end of the 20^th century, but became even more obvious at the beginning of the 21^st century. The government channeled increasing amounts of money to the hi-tech industry, neglecting almost everything else. As a result from this funds channeling, many small businesses that depended on governmental support went broke and closed. This resulted in increasing rates of unemployment. Also, as technology advanced, industry became more automated and less men dependent, which increased the unemployment.

The direct effect of unemployment was the increasing of crime rates - which the police couldn’t handle due to funding problems. The less felt effect was a large gap that opened between the social stands. People who could keep their jobs at the hi-tech corps, were highly paid and were able to keep a high life style, while the unemployed had to fight for their survival. And the middle class? Well - there isn’t much left of the middle class. Most corporations turned to technology related sciences and their employees became high class. The corporations that didn’t turn technology related were usually merged into a high tech corporation. As things turned out, after the first decade of the 21^st century, you were either a powerful corporation, or was eaten by one. Little business had no chance of survival in the new society.

The economic control was in the hands of the megacorps. They hired their own security forces, gave their employees apartments within the megacorp’s buildings, opened shops, banks, and all sorts of social services, and became like small cities within cities.

Outside of the corporations, the government tried to keep the order, but with little success. In an attempt to reduce governmental overhead costs, many cities merged into large metroplexes known as Sprawls. To make things harder for the government, all sorts of natural disasters started to happen in a relatively high frequency - earthquakes, floods, famine, plagues etc. To top it all, small wars began to wage on the smallest of issues. It was like Earth was on some curse. All these have drained the government’s funds, to the point which forced them to come to the megacorps for financial support. It was a small step from here to making the government a puppet, while the megacorps are the ones that have real power.

The society of 2031 is on the brink of collapse. Crime rates are very high - as the police have almost no funds, hence they have no muscle. The social differences between the poor and the rich are unimaginable - while people sleep on the street and have to steal for their next meal, other sleep in 30 square meters bedrooms equipped with all sorts of technological gadgets. Planet Earth is also not faring a bright future - after a decade of earthquakes, floods, famine, weather phenomenon, ozone layer disintegration, acid rain, global heating and whatever you can think of.

This is the world you live in, or to put in more correctly, this is the world you must survive in. Good luck and god help you - if he hasn’t abandoned us yet.

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