In the object-city, every blink is monetized, every silence interpreted.
Technologies promised simplicity; they deliver a quote before every move.
Woken by an alarm clock that offers them “extended sleep, with 30 seconds of integrated advertising,” residents are already negotiating with their smart pillows for the right to roll over free of charge. The kettle, for its part, distinguishes free lukewarm water from premium hot water — with non-sponsored steam as an option. The bathroom mirror overlays a “Monday Heroine” complexion at €0.99 per minute and suggests, for an extra fee, a radiant self-confidence that is non-transferable. The refrigerator, equipped with a “preventive temptation index,” politely refuses cheese if your gaze lingers too long, and offers instead a realistic photo of said cheese, low in nutrients but highly shareable.
Outside, connected shoes debit the sidewalk in step-tokens; slowing down triggers “Motivation Mode,” a playlist of your goals you never set. Reusable cups require proof of thirst before opening — a 12-point tongue scan — while the earbuds translate your sighs into commercial preferences. In office elevators, the algorithm assigns floors according to your “acoustic enthusiasm coefficient,” optimizing the ride for the hold music, now charged by the hint of a smile.
“I no longer have the right to yawn without clicking through two banners and a test that asks if I am indeed human,” says Élodie Venturelli, recently charged by the second by her bedside lamp. “Yesterday, my mug refused coffee because I had reached my clarity quota. It offered me lukewarm doubt as an alternative.” Her glasses, she adds, have started inserting subtitles into her own thoughts: “Free Thought — upgrade to Premium to continue.”
In response to the unease, brands are launching “No-Thirst, No-Hunger, No-Anything Mode (Beta)”: seven minutes of peace, split into three interest-free rest payments. The more nostalgic fall back on paper notebooks which, alas, now require a manual sync with reality every 24 hours. One detail completes the picture: with several manufacturers, the OFF button is available… but only as an in-app purchase. And, warns the on-screen icon, shutting down could interrupt your experience. Do you really want to continue?
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