Algorithmic Reality
What would happen if our online world entered our real lives? This funny dystopian graphic novel explores an eerily possible
reality from next level advertising to essentially no true privacy.
The book starts off with a comical scenario of briefly looking at purchasing some runners, to then images of those runners literally following our main character around everywhere. A human with photos of the runners that were looked at once briefly keep popping up all over the place constantly reminding him of the shoes. He can’t grocery shop or get anything done without photos of those shoes appearing with a person chatting to them about buying them.
Next a far more dismal scenario. We see our main character trying to get insurance, which is now impossible to get without signing away all of your privacy and being forced into living a healthier lifestyle. All of his internet searches, everything that he does online, in emails, and what he physically does in real life will all be transmitted back to the insurance company. If he doesn’t live well according to their standards he loses coverage, but if he opts for the option that doesn’t completely invade his personal life the insurance is unaffordable. He’s stuck. As he goes through everyday life out and about we see people with chip implants, and businesses that don’t accept cash. Weird cultural changes have happened too, such as song names don’t exist anymore they are simply numbered.Things get increasingly depressing.
This book is an exploration of where things could go in the future. There is a lot of humor tossed around, yet all of the scenarios, however silly, certainly have an edge of reality to them. The book has a dark overall feeling to it that doesn’t offer a lot of positivity or sprinkles of sunshine here and there. The future is bleak.
Algorithmic Reality is full of a variety of different styles of panel arrangements providing the reader with much more interesting pages to flip through. The color palette is realistic as are the images. It’s very much been created in a lifelike and authentic style, so don’t expect big word bubbles with action words or characters exploding off the pages.
Overall, this was a quick read. It’s an intelligent, humorous and gloomy view of what could possibly happen if the digital world were to blend into the real world. It is absolutely for an adult audience as there are more mature themes discussed and a fair amount of profanity is used to play up the emotions the characters are experiencing.
Algorithmic Reality Vol.
By Damien Bradfield
Art by David Sanchez
NBM ComicsLit, 2022
ISBN: 9781681123066
Publisher Age Rating: 18+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
