Dial Up the Tension

Wessel (u.k.)

[Writing experiment] A literature review

Set in the future, on a planet called Earth: it's December 2023 and Earth is experiencing a slow-burning environmental catastrophe:

Storms had been raging all week, a relentless torrent of rain and wind that left the town in a state of disarray. Power lines were down, and the usual haunts were closed. Tonight, everyone found solace in a single place: The Blind Boozer.
Inside Zuboff is holding court again. "The scheming corporations are taking your data. Worse, they are using it to manipulate you to do things you otherwise would not have."
"It's a free market" Hayek grumbles, "you can choose not to use these platforms." "Not really". It's McLuhan, as usual, totally sober. "I've been saying since the 60s that the electric age will usher in a global village. The key here is the village bit. You can't escape your neighbours, let alone business in a small village."
"Our saviour is Crypto". Satoshi is right at the back, in the corner and in the dark. Nobody here has caught a proper glimpse of the man, yet his words carry weight. "If we realise the full potential of blockchain, not only can we escape the centralising power of big tech, but we can rid ourselves of the banks and government too."

Just then, there's a loud crash, and water comes flooding in.