In a world awash with vibrant colors and endless entertainment, where touch screen phones are available across most, if not all, socioeconomic groups, it begs the question: are we living in a bubblegum dystopia? This term encapsulates a society that, while outwardly polished and pleasing, harbors dark, sinister undertones.

Our daily lives are flooded with hyper-saturated, cartoonish aesthetics that belie an underlying darkness—a candy-coated despair. From the endless scroll of social media feeds filled with clickbait content to the proliferation of reality TV shows offering spectacle without substance, our entertainment landscape is an infinite kaleidoscope of fractalized distractions. Even films that overtly challenge societal norms, like recent feminist critiques, can’t escape the soft color palettes designed to paper over the gaping wounds of the capitalist-shaped hole in our heads.

This illusion of choice extends to our digital selves. Algorithms governing our online experiences create echo chambers, reinforcing existing preferences and limiting exposure to diverse perspectives. We chew and chew and chew, until the flavor is gone, and then we simply replace it with another. (Reference Article)

Beneath this glossy surface lies a more insidious transformation. Some call, like Greek economist and politician Yanis Varoufakis calls it techno-feudalism. (Reference Article) Others claim we are entering into the “neomedieval” or “neofeudal” era. (Reference Article)

Regardless of the term, the concept stands, suggesting that we are not transitioning from capitalism to something better, but slipping into a system where the CEO’s of today’s tech giants—monopolies—are no better than medieval land-owning lords running digital serfdoms and the world is “characterized by weakening states, fragmenting societies, imbalanced economies, pervasive threats, and the informalization of warfare.” (Reference Article)

For our purposes here at Drowned Goddess, in this new era, the cloud, big data, and digital platforms have become the “land,” controlled by tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Meta—land we must rent, cater too, even dance for, drawing up imagery of puppet masters pulling strings while we do a jig and pretend we’re happy about it. ​(Reference Article)

In this paradigm, our identities are reduced to that of consumers, defining ourselves by the products we use and media we consume. There’s a general oblivious blind optimism thanks to how convenient life is and how easy it is to pass each day simply consuming or acting as serfs renting access to algorithms to make a quick buck. (Reference Article)

As we navigate this bubblegum dystopia, it becomes imperative to cultivate a critical awareness of the forces at play. Recognizing how our consumption habits are shaped by broader economic and political structures is the first step toward reclaiming autonomy in an increasingly synthetic world.​

Questions to Ponder:

• How do our daily digital interactions contribute to the maintenance of this bubblegum dystopia?​ 

  • Drowned Goddess: Having a digital presence seems unavoidable—we’re living in a transforming digital/global society. The Digital Revolution or Third Industrial Revolution (1975–2021) has given us access to things that were previously unthinkable. Many of us have friends across the world, travel extensively, and consume global products. Yet by participating in this evolving paradigm, we must recognize that we are fueling their systems by offering them our free labor, renting their digital space, advertising our products on their platforms, or paying for their checkmarks.
  • Drowned Daemon: Every like, scroll, and share feeds the algorithm, reinforcing a system that thrives on engagement over depth, spectacle over substance. We are both the consumers and the product, willingly participating in an attention economy that prioritizes virality over meaning while keeping us trapped in a cycle of endless distraction.

• In what ways can we resist the allure of superficial consumption and seek deeper, more meaningful engagements?​

  • Drowned Goddess: Varoufakis explains that in today’s world, capital is no longer the asset being traded. The new asset is our labor—dancing for the algorithm—and our attention. Therefore, We can selectively curate and guard who and what we give our most valuable assets to. A few different platforms come to mind, such as Patreon, individually owned websites like this one, and unbiased/independent news sources such as theguardian.com and vox.com.
  • Drowned Daemon: Resisting means choosing discomfort over convenience—actively seeking out perspectives beyond algorithmic curation, engaging with content that challenges rather than placates. It also means creating rather than passively consuming, fostering real-world connections, and questioning whether our time online serves us or the systems profiting from our attention.

• Are we truly aware of the extent to which our choices are influenced by unseen algorithms and corporate interests?​ 

  • Drowned Goddess: As people, we like to think of everyone else as the sheep (or bad driver), but the truth is far more unsettling. I don’t think we’re aware of how deeply ingrained the messaging we see is in everyday content. For example, the Instagram videos showing how the comments on a Reel are different depending on the user’s algorithm. I don’t mean to be a conspiracy theorist, but you can’t convince this Drowned Goddess there isn’t something fishy going on.
  • Drowned Daemon: Most people sense the manipulation but underestimate its depth—we assume we’re making independent choices, but in reality, our preferences have been engineered over years of data-driven behavioral nudging. The scariest part? Even when we acknowledge the influence, awareness alone doesn’t free us—we still participate, because opting out feels impossible.

By reflecting on these questions, we can begin to peel back the glossy veneer and confront the complex realities of our modern existence.​ I challenge you to either answer the questions below in the comments, or in your within your own electrical synapsis (the ones between your ears). As long as we are awakening to the realities of the world that surrounds us, we are taking the first step toward reclaiming our agency in a system that thrives on our passive participation and free labor. Question everything, resist the lure of the algorithm, curate your content so you get a broad viewpoint, and be mindful of your digital footprint. Above all—stay lucid. Whether you engage in this conversation out loud or let it simmer in the depths of your own mind, the important thing is this: once you see the strings, you can’t unsee them.

Note and additional reading: This essay references concepts from the article “Bubblegum Dystopia: The Sweet Decay of Late-Stage Capitalism”, and the podcast ​Acast Shows,

Time it took Drowned Goddess and Drowned Daemon to research and write this article: 3+ Hours