If you’ve read Fahrenheit 451, you might remember a passage where he talks about a woman, almost catatonic, oblivious to the world thanks to a radio in her ear. This sort of stuff stunned Ray Bradbury in 1953, but it’s second nature to us millennials in the 21’st century. The guy might as well have been a prophet, because nowadays we have the German youth word of 2015, Smombie. Smartphone Zombie, for those of you who aren’t with the program…
If you didn’t think we were already entering a cyberdystopia of immense proportions, let me drive it home to you. We currently have special ‘cell phone lanes’ for people with smartphone addiction in cities like Chongqing and Antwerp. Lanes created specially to herd the human cattle from their station to their slumber. Depressing, isn’t it? Cologne and Augsburg have also introduced ground-level traffic lights, so that we don’t end up six feet under when we cross the road, tweeting about Kylie’s latest selfie. Famous last words!
Jordan Oloman