You can tell how much this meant to him.

[u/mindyour]

[u/[deleted]]

If this is what now qualifies as dystopian, I really don't want to see a version of life that meets the traditional definition of that word. I think at the very worst this might be staged - and while I agree that the added music doesn't lend itself to sincerity, I think that may just be something people do now without considering any possible meaning that people may attach to it. Dystopian involves angst, darkness, and unjust suffering. Surely this isn't that?

[u/Mumrik2 → u/[deleted]]

A dystopia is an unwanted vision of society and this is excatly that. Yeah it is much easier to see the problems in other forms of this that are more blatantly harmfull, but even this rubs me the wrong way in multiple ways. There is no sincerity here. It is all performative.

While the man here is aware he is being filmed is he aware he is being posted? Does he understand social media platforms? Is he aware of the framing of him as lonely? Is that even accurate?

I think a lot of people would feel leveled down by having something like this made about them.

Dystopian proverb: If a good deed was done and it wasn't on your Insta story. Did it really happend?

edit: It could very well be that these are good people who meant well and maybe he doesn't mind, but I doubt even the girls know as they could only communicate with him through an app, and moreover I don't trust the judgement of influencers for obvious reason. Social media only lends itself to the most simple narratives that can be easily manipulated.You are just meant to comsume this ,click the heart, and scroll to the next video without thinking any deeper about the people/content you just consumed.

[u/[deleted] → u/Mumrik2]

Dystopia specifically means great undeserved suffering. And I'm not sure that being filmed on being on social media quite qualifies.

I'm not disagreeing with your points and it's quite possible that this had fraudulent intentions from jump. And your complaints about social media are fair. I understand your POV, and many people agree with you.

I was just pointing out that while this gentleman may not have been aware of the plan for this video and this may not have been done with the best intentions, his AirBNB is now booked solid as far out as the platform allows (through 2026) and I don't see any unjust suffering.

[u/Mumrik2 → u/[deleted]]

Does it specifically mean that?

Oxford: typical of or featuring an imaginary place or state in which everything is extremely bad or unpleasant

Meriam webster: an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives

Cambridge: relating to a very bad or unfair society in which there is a lot of suffering, especially an imaginary society in the future, or to the description of such a society

I still think it fits my point of relating this behaviour to the distopian influence of social media. Maybe I'm wrong. Regardless. I think people understood what I meant.

[u/[deleted] → u/Mumrik2]

The first definition that comes up for me is "relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice".

But I think you've encompassed it with "extremely bad", "wretched", "very bad" "suffering", so I think we're not only in the same ballpark, we're in the same on deck circle.

I just don't see this guy getting his AirBnB booked solid for the next 2 years as a result of this publicity being anything close to negative, much less wretched or suffering. It's a positive outcome.

As I said, I understand your point and some people share your disdain for social media.