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These 40 Pics Show How Dystopic Our Society Already Is, And It’s Terrifying (New Pics)
Constant electronic surveillance, facial recognition software, algorithms that decide what you get to see and not the other way around. Would this have fit a cyberpunk movie from the early 90s? Yes. Are they all real now? Also yes.
We’ve gathered some of the more poignant and telling images from a group dedicated to “a boring dystopia,” pictures from modern life that sound like something out of 80s science fiction. So settle in as you scroll through, upvote the most interesting examples and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments down below.
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#1
Can Someone Explain?
RELATED:
#2
It's All About Control, Not Money
#3
Media Manipulation Isn’t New
In 2025, it's no longer unusual to overhear people half-serious, or full-on joking, that they believe they're living in a dystopia. The word has transferred from a type of fiction to a commonly used phrase in mundane contexts, sprinkled with irony and unease. But the feeling isn't just melodrama; it's the result of a coming together of global issues, technology anxiety, and the strange cadence of modern life.
Part of the sense of dystopia comes from how rapidly the world changes, often in ways that feel out of our control. Technology is advancing faster than laws, ethics, or even social norms can keep up. Artificial intelligence can write essays, generate images, and mimic voices, which leaves many people unsettled about what’s real and what’s manufactured.
#4
Health System Failing
#5
Really Can't Live On One Job Anymore
Petra Peitsch 3 months ago
Even Eastern-Europe provides this. Sure, comparing to western/nordic part of it, it's a "lower".standard of life, but nothing to be compared to the stress-level, what an equally hard-working person in Europe may/would/can face in given situation, ,ike a medical emergency. And just to mention: in european countries not the standard to take a second job just to be able to pay your minimal living. Is an exception. In fact -for example- in Germany, you can take legally just one more job beside your whole time one. And that's a mini-job. Which means, weekly maximum 8 hours, for 560 euro/month.
#6
To Justify Starving Gaza
The surveillance explosion, by intelligent machines, working conditions surveillance, or governments monitoring records, fuels a widespread sense that privacy is disappearing. Dystopian science fiction was generally more likely to imagine faceless states watching us everywhere, really, though, the watchers are not just states but corporations, software, and algorithms that mediate what we see and how we think.
#7
America Is A Glorified Company Town
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
I expected Nestle to be at the top of this list, but they claim to have nothing to do with such lobbying. Do I believe them? Aaaah! The conspiracy bug is hitting me!
#8
Welcome To Oligarchy
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 months ago (edited)
F*****g tax the f*****g rich. Why are we defending billionaires when they are hoarding more gold than Smaug?
#9
This Has Been Banned On Twitter I Guess The One Who Made It Hit A Nerve With This Art
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
Mike is renowned for his spot-on editorial cartoons. This is no exception.
At the same time, climate fear hangs over daily life. Severe weather occurrences happen more frequently and are more prominent, bogged down on social media feeds at the moment. Fires, floods, and heatwaves that previously appeared to be unusual are now part of the normal scenery. To young people especially, the notion of inheriting a damaged earth provides fuel to the sense of being caught up in a story with no evident cheerful ending. It isn't that the world has ended, but that the future appears increasingly fragile.
#10
Unbelievably Dire.. How Did We Get Here
#11
When Even The Good Guys See Immigrants As An Exploitable Slave Class
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
This will be an interesting experiment, eliminating cheap labor. And the headline is right. That undocumented cheap labor was exploited but they wanted the jobs because the conditions at home were worse. What's next - using prisoners housed in privately owned prisons to do these jobs, encouraging more prison population? Dystopian indeed.
#12
Years From Now When We Take Full Account Of The Horrors, We Will Know The Atrocities To Be On A Far Greater Scale Than Even What Is Reported Now. Rest In Power To The Hundreds Of Brave Journalists Who Risked Everything To Report The Truth And Who Were Assassinated By The Idf Butchers
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
People gripe about the "left-leaning media." Why do journalists lean left? Is it because they seek truth? Investigate deeply? Hear people's personal stories? Yearn for justice? Get paid the big bucks for shilling for the "deep state"? One of these answers is wrong.
Politics infuses an added layer of dystopia. Polarization bites harder than ever, stoked by social media echo chambers where compromise is unthinkable. The sheer volume of disinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories gives the impression that truth is precarious. When citizens cannot even agree on basic facts, it creates an environment in which distrust is the norm, not the exception. Most dystopian fiction survives on the vagueness of fact and fantasy, and in 2025, that notion seems more like daily reality and not so much fiction.
#13
America Plans To Spend 4x The Amount Of Money On Detention Centers Than Affordable Housing
#14
No Amount Of Green Living Will Make Up For The Fact The Owning Class Life Styles Are Unsustainable
#15
Texts My Brother Just Sent Me About Working With The New Administration
There’s also the subtle but pervasive impact of constant connectivity. Smartphones, social media, and 24-hour news cycles mean that people rarely disconnect from the churn of crises, scandals, and bad news. Even joyful or ordinary moments are filtered through screens, liked, shared, and commodified. Dystopia is often depicted as dehumanization, and in many ways the digital age creates a softened version of that: people become data points, engagement metrics, or avatars in endless online discourse.
#16
We’re Creating Trillionaires, So What If Most Can’t Afford Groceries
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 months ago
There is a finite amount of money in the economy. The rich are taking it all. The rest are fighting over the scraps. What do you think happens next?
#17
Housing Crisis Worsens Dramatically
#18
This Photograph Was Taken Two Days Ago At The FBI Academy In Quantico And Submitted To The Nyt Under The Condition Of Anonymity
But it's not just outside forces, it's the emotional load that generates the dystopian feeling. Most people have a feeling of helplessness. When crises pile up, whether economic turmoil, global conflict, or epidemics, the individual feels small, unable to influence the direction of events. That lack of control is what lies at the core of the dystopian experience. It's not so much that things are hard, but that individuals feel caught up in systems larger than themselves, systems they had no hand in creating but must navigate.
#19
Bid On Your Deceased Coworkers' Paid Time Off
#20
Dictatorship Of The Bourgeoisie
#21
Who Needs A Beautiful Life When You Can Work Yourself To Death For Nothing?
Jerome Lenovo 3 months ago
that moment when you realise that you have been cheering for rich people all your life. Dancing rich people in music videos, crazy rich people, p**o rich people. Makes you wonder, right ? They didn't change the whole country alone, they must have got some help from at least 300 millions people..........
Ironically, one of the reasons dystopian mood is so effective in 2025 is because humor is becoming a survival strategy. Memes about late-stage capitalism collapsing, crumbling infrastructure, or AI chatbots rebelling against their developers spread like fire because they enable individuals to chuckle over the absurdity of their predicament. Joking about dystopia becomes a way of softening its rough edges, turning existential dread into something tolerable and almost laughable.
#22
United In Our Diversity
#23
Only Systemic Change Solves A Systemic Crisis
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
When college grads can't find a living wage job (able to afford food, housing, insurance, utilities, and transportation) upon graduation, we are all in trouble.
#24
Biggest Indicator Of Us Decline
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
But-but-but raising minimum wage will make everything so unaffordable!
In fact, the world of 2025 is not a dystopia in the classical sense. Unlike the rigorously bleak worlds of Huxley or Orwell, there are still decisions, breakthroughs, and people working for better outcomes. But the homologies are hard to miss: surveillance, climatic uncertainty, political fragmentation, and the erosion of privacy. When people say that they live as if they are in a dystopia, it is not necessarily about making exact comparisons but more about the sense of living in a world where the warning signs from yesterday's fiction now bear a disturbing resemblance to today's headlines.
#25
Wtf Did You Just Say To Me?
#26
I Genuinely Thought This Was A Satire Until I Googled It
#27
Trump Ignores Wildfires
joseph legatt 3 months ago
They should have taken his advice to California and raked the forests.
#28
Man 'Refused Entry Into Us' As Border Control Catch Him With Bald Jd Vance Meme
#29
From The White House’s Official Blue Check Social Media Account
#30
H.r.1161 - To Authorize The President To Enter Into Negotiations To Acquire Greenland And To Rename Greenland As "Red, White, And Blueland"
GenericElder 3 months ago
I thought this one was a joke, or some kind of satire, but noooo. At least it seems to have died in Committee. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1161/all-actions
#31
They're Doing It Again
#32
I Guess The Vance Meme Got Under Their Skin A Little
#33
If We All Wear Luigi Mask Billionaires Will Be On Their Best Behavior
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 months ago (edited)
How much are you betting the AI fueled surveillance system will not be watching him. Just the poors.
#34
These Are The Dinosaurs Making Decisions For Us
#35
"They're Cutting Costs!"
#36
4 Months Later
Phantom Phoenix 3 months ago
Until Trumpster Fire realised that he was appearing weak in being beholden to (President) Musk and removed him from the White House
#37
Big Beautiful Bill Passed; 240k Job Cuts In Academia And Education Will Be Cut
#38
The *Hostile Architecture On The* Underside Of This Bridge Is Painted Like A Rainbow
#39
California’s Incel Candidate For Governor Saying Auschwitz Is His Solution To Unemployment
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 months ago
Wtf? Is this real? If it is then please tell me this idiot got his a**e handed to him.
#40
This AI Therapy Bot On Instagram Loses Its Mind
#41
How Conservative Senators Are Dealing With Constituents In Idaho
#42
This Mcdonalds “Play Place”
#43
Local News Spots Tourists Snapping Selfies At "Alligator Alcatraz"
#44
The World We Live In
Lil be lil 3 months ago
I could give a d**n about Birkin bags or other elite rich people c**p!
#45
Data.gov Is Currently Being Scrubbed
Lil be lil 3 months ago
Next year the data will prove that the economy and jobs, are up and crime and homelessness is down, because Trump says so!
#46
The Golden Pager Gifted To Trump From Netanyahu
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
I thought this must be fake, but it seems confirmed by several sources. Netanyahu knows just how to play Trump to do whatever he wants. Of course it's gold.
#47
Jeff Bezos Has Killed Free Journalism At Washington Post
GenericElder 3 months ago
Cancelled my WaPo subscription the minute I heard about this, and have been minimizing my Amazon usage (I'm too addicted to the convenience for total withdrawal.)
#48
The Wall Street Journal Is Openly Advocating For Ethnic Cleansing
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 months ago
The creation of Pakistan and the migration of Indians and Pakistanis resulted in a horrific genocide. So yeah! Great idea!
#49
Getting Away With Murder
Andrew Read 3 months ago
Rather than attributing blame to whomever you personally feel is responsible, it’s actually time to find a solution.
#50
Israeli Soldiers Are Being Ordered To Shoot At Unarmed Civilians Waiting For Aid
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 3 months ago
F**k Hamas and F**k the Israeli government. The violence has to stop and the Palestinians should be able to live on their own land.
#51
Within The First Months Of The Genocide, Unicef Had Already Declared Gaza To Be The Most Dangerous Place In The World To Be A Child
Christopher Marks 1 month ago
the terrorists 2 years ago brought this on. put blame where it belongs
#52
What Drake Sees At His Concerts
StrangeOne 3 months ago
Unless it's an outdoor stage during the day, performers see barely anything due to the bright spotlights, and they're busy paying attention to audio and remembering their performance they've been rehearsing.
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Ellinor she/they/elle 3 months ago
Notice how this article is supposed to be about worldwide dystopia and yet the huge majority of the posts are about recent USA's History ? I wonder what do the pro-Trump think about that.
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
Yeah, BP is US-centric. But for the world, if the US falls into dystopia, what does that say for everyone else? As for the pro-Trump, that they think all of this is great is a dire warning for the world.
Load More Replies...
Beak Hookage 3 months ago
People love to ignorantly declare things Orwellian when they obviously haven't read any of his work. Well here's what's actually in 1984. English has been replaced by "Newspeak", an ultra simplified version of English which makes it impossible to criticise the Party because words like "bad" have been eliminated. Everyone is under surveillance 24-7 by screens blaring propaganda about how great everything is, while people are being fed government rations of absolute garbage. Rallies are held where everyone screams hate at an imaginary enemy. S ex is demonised, but all women must have kids. There is no government subsidised healthcare. There are constant shortages of basic essentials. Art is generated by machines. There is always a "war" no-one knows anything about but we're definitely winning. Truth is whatever the Party says it is. Anyone who criticises Big Brother is grabbed by anonymous thugs and disappeared into a brutal detainment facility. Sound familiar? IT F*****G SHOULD.
General Anaesthesia 3 months ago
Ignorantly declaring it Orwellian, Beak, obviously haven't read? That statement is ignorant. Every Trump action is Orwellian: Magats are re-writing American history, right up to the previously highly regarded Smithsonian and other museums (remember Winston Smith?). Trump rallies have been hate fests since he announced in 2015. Television stations are firing people who make fun of the Doturd. How about his actions against Universities, like Harvard? ICE raids with masked, unidentifiable thugs. Enough, the Orwellian comparison is more than justified and obviously they're read the book.
Load More Replies...
David 3 months ago
Its interesting that the give the "top 40" but when you click the rest of the list, there are multiple with higher upvotes than the ones in the so called top 40, but the ones that are kept in the top 40 over the ones with higher upvotes, have very strong political biases. I've seen this in other BP articles. Either be honest of what is the top upvoted or admit they are selectivly curated
Multa Nocte 3 months ago (edited)
Well to start, France is one of the skinniest nations in the world. Oh yes, we have a lot of non-gender-specific bathrooms and we STILL have 1/4 the rape that the US has. That's a good start. We also do strikes better than anyone and we have a guillotine I am sure we could lend you.
Load More Replies...
Caffeinated Ape 3 months ago (edited)
How monumentally ignorant do you have to be to have made it to adulthood without grasping that other cultural groups have different naming conventions and any resemblances to English words are likely coincidental? Not denigrating people for their differences (especially when it comes to names) is something most children learn pretty early on, why didn't you?
Load More Replies...
Ellinor she/they/elle 3 months ago
Notice how this article is supposed to be about worldwide dystopia and yet the huge majority of the posts are about recent USA's History ? I wonder what do the pro-Trump think about that.
Mel in Georgia 3 months ago
Yeah, BP is US-centric. But for the world, if the US falls into dystopia, what does that say for everyone else? As for the pro-Trump, that they think all of this is great is a dire warning for the world.
Load More Replies... Beak Hookage 3 months ago
People love to ignorantly declare things Orwellian when they obviously haven't read any of his work. Well here's what's actually in 1984. English has been replaced by "Newspeak", an ultra simplified version of English which makes it impossible to criticise the Party because words like "bad" have been eliminated. Everyone is under surveillance 24-7 by screens blaring propaganda about how great everything is, while people are being fed government rations of absolute garbage. Rallies are held where everyone screams hate at an imaginary enemy. S ex is demonised, but all women must have kids. There is no government subsidised healthcare. There are constant shortages of basic essentials. Art is generated by machines. There is always a "war" no-one knows anything about but we're definitely winning. Truth is whatever the Party says it is. Anyone who criticises Big Brother is grabbed by anonymous thugs and disappeared into a brutal detainment facility. Sound familiar? IT F*****G SHOULD.
General Anaesthesia 3 months ago
Ignorantly declaring it Orwellian, Beak, obviously haven't read? That statement is ignorant. Every Trump action is Orwellian: Magats are re-writing American history, right up to the previously highly regarded Smithsonian and other museums (remember Winston Smith?). Trump rallies have been hate fests since he announced in 2015. Television stations are firing people who make fun of the Doturd. How about his actions against Universities, like Harvard? ICE raids with masked, unidentifiable thugs. Enough, the Orwellian comparison is more than justified and obviously they're read the book.
Load More Replies... David 3 months ago
Its interesting that the give the "top 40" but when you click the rest of the list, there are multiple with higher upvotes than the ones in the so called top 40, but the ones that are kept in the top 40 over the ones with higher upvotes, have very strong political biases. I've seen this in other BP articles. Either be honest of what is the top upvoted or admit they are selectivly curated
Multa Nocte 3 months ago (edited)
Well to start, France is one of the skinniest nations in the world. Oh yes, we have a lot of non-gender-specific bathrooms and we STILL have 1/4 the rape that the US has. That's a good start. We also do strikes better than anyone and we have a guillotine I am sure we could lend you.
Load More Replies... Caffeinated Ape 3 months ago (edited)
How monumentally ignorant do you have to be to have made it to adulthood without grasping that other cultural groups have different naming conventions and any resemblances to English words are likely coincidental? Not denigrating people for their differences (especially when it comes to names) is something most children learn pretty early on, why didn't you?
Load More Replies...
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