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Back in 1949, when George Orwell’s 1984 was published, the novel was deemed a depressing masterpiece and prophetic warning. Readers were horrified by the idea that the future might eventually reflect the themes in the book. Nowadays, however, we know all too well how accurate the story has become.
It seems like every single week, news headlines are more and more dystopian. Artificial intelligence becomes increasingly pervasive by the day, and governments around the world appear to be taking steps to remove individual freedoms, rather than expand them. And if you’re interested in seeing some harrowing examples of what’s happening to society, you’ve come to the right place. We visited the "That’s Dystopian" Facebook group and gathered some of their most unsettling posts below. From employees working past the age of 100 to citizens being encouraged to snitch on shoplifters, our lives are starting to feel like we're living in a Black Mirror episode.
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#1
Geoffrey Scott 6 hours ago
And isn't it odd, that the US wants NOTHING to do with Communism which is defined by the government overseeing the methods and means of commercial productivity. As the 'Orange God' is demanding Nvidia and US Steel, pay 'tribute' to the government by allowing him to have final say so over how they run the business?
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#2
Spencer's slave no longer 14 hours ago
Dirty nappies and cat litter spring to mind on this, veggies are too expensive in the Disunited States.
For the most part, technological advancements are a positive thing. It’s amazing that we can use our phones to give us directions while driving, play music whenever we want, provide us with access to all the knowledge in the world, and allow us to keep in touch with people all over the planet. Meanwhile, we need scientists to continue finding cures for diseases and creating new vaccines to keep us safe. But there are certain aspects of technology that feel just a bit dystopian.
According to a report from October 2025, more than a billion people across the globe say that they now use AI at least once a month. But many are using it every single day, whether that’s to help them write an email at work or to provide advice on how to handle issues in their relationship. People are starting to turn to computers to solve every single problem they have, and life is beginning to feel like a sci-fi novel.
#4
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago
But do the actually shun it? I think it's normally just withheld.
While AI can be a helpful tool, IBM warns that there are some potential risks associated with these technologies. First, they note that humans are innately biased, and humans created artificial intelligence. Sometimes, these biases and prejudices are reflected in the technology, so it's important that we don't take everything an AI model spits out as gospel.
At the same time, AI is sometimes used to launch cyberattacks. Voices can be cloned, and identities can be faked to scam people out of money. AI tools can also be used to create convincing phishing schemes to compromise an individual's or an organization’s privacy and security. It’s becoming increasingly challenging to determine what was crafted by AI and what was created by a real person.
#9
Multa Nocte 12 hours ago
One of my professors, Alfred Baumeister, at Vanderbilt's John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Education and Human Development, used to tell us that if you want to know the best predictor for how someone would turn out in life given the current US climate was to look at the zip code of the child's parents when the child was born.
Another major concern that critics of AI cite is the environmental issues. The data centers that AI technologies run on use an incredible amount of water to keep their servers cool. In fact, one study found that just one language processing model emits over 600,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, which is almost 5 times the amount of emissions a car will produce in its lifetime.
It feels a bit dystopian to know that we’re wasting water and polluting the planet, so people can talk to ChatGPT. Meanwhile, a quarter of the world’s population still doesn't have access to clean water.
#10
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago (edited)
Anyone who buys a toothbrush with that sort of technology deserves whatever consequences they get.
#12
In 2024, Newsweek reported that a survey of 1,000 Americans found that 26% of men and 14% of women believed they were living in a dystopian society. In fact, one-fifth of Americans said they were living in an even more dystopian society than the one described in Orwell’s 1984. Reasons cited for this were the overturning of Roe v. Wade, shifting gender norms, cancel culture, and more. But today, people might have even more reasons to believe that they're living in a sci-fi story.
#13
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago
For 25 years, when submitting a proposal for work from my company, they had to have my CV. It was basically, 'Owned and ran this company for [however many] years'. Every time.
#14
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago
Although in the Matrix, making people happy didn't work, so there's that....
Unfortunately, there’s more than one dystopian piece of literature or film that has come eerily close to predicting the future. The Guardian published a piece earlier this month discussing pieces of media that seem to have predicted the future. Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel Snow Crash, for example, has an immersive virtual reality called the “metaverse,” which requires a headset to access. And we all know that Mark Zuckerberg renamed his company Meta and announced a plan to develop his own “metaverse”.
#17
Laszlo Larthlanc 1 hour ago
Not uncommon. The homeless in the town where I grew up used to commit non-violent misdemeanors & felonies in order to get themselves arrested. They knew they'd get a shower and a shave, some fresh clothes, and a few meals that were far better than what they'd been getting on the streets.
#18
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago (edited)
Well, no. I get overwhelmed by how online is a genuine dystopian nightmare, and out of my windows is a chaotic utopian wilderness that is absolutely adorable.
Meanwhile, Octavia E. Butler’s 1993 Parable of the Sower and 1998 Parable of the Talents have unsettling similarities to our current age. The stories, which are set in a post-apocalyptic California, describe a wealthy community that has sequestered itself away from the dangers of the world. At the same time, the climate has been destroyed, and the president claims that he will “Make America Great Again”. Sound familiar?
#20
CP 4 hours ago
Society doesn’t make sense when you think about it for a moment. People hoarding wealth they don’t need and didn’t earn while people starve. Inheriting money isn’t earning it despite what the rich tell you. If giving children titles they didn’t earn via monarchies didn’t make sense then why does giving children money they didn’t earn make sense? We still operate society based on blood and it only has meaning because we give it meaning.
#21
Mike Rodrick 5 hours ago
Or up to 25 to work in the medical field or be a nurse which is no longer considered a degree.
Everyone knows that it’s impossible to predict the future. But in many regards, at the moment, it does look bleak. Climate change is undeniable, and the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid using AI, and it’s widely understood that the government is watching and listening to pretty much everything its citizens do. We know that the world can be a scary place nowadays, but if it brings you some comfort to call out just how dystopian it has become, we highly recommend that you do so! You might even want to share your findings with That’s Dystopian on Facebook.
#22
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago
These make me ill. And BP, you ought to back off your crappy AI pix as well. Also your shoddy AI entries on articles.
#24
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago
I don't think I've often been so broke as to need to spread my fast food payments over 4 months, but when I was, I certainly wasn't buying fast food!
Are you feeling unsettled after scrolling through these photos, pandas? Keep upvoting the ones that you find particularly eerie, and let us know in the comments below what the most dystopian thing you’ve witnessed recently was. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing similar societal issues, look no further than right here!
#26
Spencer's slave no longer 14 hours ago
So, McDonalds now have indentured servants, not employees.
#29
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago
I disagree with this. If I had never had to read a book outside a class, many of which I had never heard or or weren't the sort of books I would have personally chosen, there is no way I would have had exposure to the books that shaped my life. As well, the amount of learning about Greek and Roman philosophy and mythology might not have come my way, and definitely the math that they taught in grades 7 to 12 needed time outside class to be worked on, mastered, and used. I very definitely believe in homework and believe it is important.
#30
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago (edited)
Don't go too far back, you'll find the same problem! It was just a boom after ww2, and now it's back to normal.
#31
YakFactory 12 hours ago
So you have to pay to save your grandma, rather than watching her choke? That's sick, money before compassion.
#32
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago (edited)
Hopefully someday someone will enact some legislation to prevent this exploitation and emotional abuse of children. This mom will be pikachu shocked if her kid ever decides this was too much and goes no contact.
#33
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago
It's all going to depend on the name of the restaurant. If you buy a silicone keyboard cover at Bob's Burger and Grill, there is still going to be some explaining to do.
#34
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago (edited)
🎶 God bless the USA. 🎶 (Ed.) And this bill is from over 10 years ago. Think what it would be now.
#35
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago
How can you pay for things with a bar code? Because if I can, I'm scanning that barcode myself....
#36
#38
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago (edited)
The t-shirt i insist on for my funeral is a favourite: I used up all of my sick days, so I called in deåd. Americans may have to have 'sick days' explained to them.
#39
#41
UnclePanda 4 hours ago
My no-window office opened into a 55" portal dedicated to reef diving videos and sunny beaches.
#44
Dan Holden 14 hours ago
Westjet, a Canadian airline, recently reversed their decision to add one more row to their aircraft (by taking away more leg room from an already cramped cabin), because of fierce pushback from the public. It's a small victory, but maybe we if everyone started pushing back more, these companies wouldn't be so quick to take advantage of their customers.
#46
Dan Holden 14 hours ago
How about just having more trees. They have more benefits than just creating oxygen. Shade for one.
#48
Spencer's slave no longer 14 hours ago
Maybe I should start charging rent to the illegal tenants in my shed but she's pregnant and he eats cockroaches. I think they sub let to a family with more than 6 kids so can I charge them rent too?
#49
Daisydaisy 11 hours ago
Well sunshine and lollipops! My dearest wish is to be cleaning other people's toilets and changing their bedding when I'm 84!
#50
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago
The backlash is coming. I've been predicting this for years now.
#52
#56
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago
Not a krona? Do they have to pay to travel to Great Britain if they collect some of these so that they can spend them?
#59
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago (edited)
And then is carted off to a psychiatric ward due to the psychosis she created by not sleeping. Or perhaps to jail after she killed other people with her sleep-deprived driving.
#60
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago
Who wouldn't prefer pictures of trees instead of the real thing? You also need to generate pictures of birds and squirrels, and perhaps photos of the oxygen the trees would have produced.
#61
#62
Ace 9 hours ago
Most countries across Europe have similar TV licencing fees. It's not quite enforced the same way in different places though - I don't think I've ever paid the French one, but the Swiss are rigorous about it. And even a computer or smartphone will make you liable, not just an actual dedicated TV set.
#67
Greenkitty 9 hours ago
Can't be any worse than some of the name people are giving their kids for free.
#74
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago
Yep, there is some real side-slapping humour involved in that silly-billy global warming.
#75
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago
Said by the overpaid president of the company who is sitting on his ass in his office and having everyone do his work for him, as well as bringing him coffee and lunch, and who, instead of paying his employees bonuses, takes it all for himself and his board of execs and his shareholders.
#76
#78
Zig Zag Wanderer 12 hours ago (edited)
I can distress tights myself for a lot less! It always amused me when 'distressed' jeans came into fashion. I was soooo ahead of the curve!
#79
YakFactory 12 hours ago
Just use an ordinary paperclip from the stationary store. Much cheaper, and it does the same job.. Or, just use a scrap of paper and don't damage the pages.
#80
#81
Multa Nocte 12 hours ago
Truly honouring Christ would mean you would unfollow those shallow posters who claim they know what he would have wanted.
#92
Multa Nocte 13 hours ago
"FDA approval for this treatment is still far down the road, but the study points toward new paths for treating severe depression. Krystal said that understanding the brain circuits underlying depression is likely to guide future non-invasive treatments that can modulate those circuits."
#94
#95
YakFactory 12 hours ago
Just make sure you don't step on the homeless man on the pavement. Ignore him and his plight, and have fun taking your cra**y photo. (Being sarcastic, just in case you don't realise. it.). What happened to compassion?
#96
#97
Multa Nocte 12 hours ago
To be fair, he was not labelling them - he was describing what happens under a Republican regime.
#99
Multa Nocte 12 hours ago
Next we will need a set of ICE figurines with guns and covered faces and the attitude of Cro-Magnon men.
#100
#102
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What do you think ?
TACO Don's Authentic TexMex 12 hours ago
Not the right thing to read when you are already pretty bummed out
Multa Nocte 12 hours ago
Sadly, the jokes and fakes ARE becoming the reals.
Load More Replies... TACO Don's Authentic TexMex 12 hours ago
Not the right thing to read when you are already pretty bummed out
Multa Nocte 12 hours ago
Sadly, the jokes and fakes ARE becoming the reals.
Load More Replies...
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