If you feel like you’ve been living in a dystopian cyberpunk story these past few years, you’re definitely not alone. There are silver linings to be found in life, sure… but overall, it seems like the world’s stuck in a perpetual crisis. And stability seems even more of an illusion than usual. It’s hard to know what to do when every week brings something unexpected.
What feels like it should belong in books, movies, and video games is, unfortunately, real life. To show you what this looks like, Bored Panda has curated this list of images that show just how dystopian things have gotten in the 21st century. Keep scrolling to lose some of that remaining faith in humanity that you’re protecting so hard.
#1 Good Article. No Surprises. “It’s Not About Wanting A Pay Raise Or Extra Income, It’s Just About Wanting A Livable Wage.”
Image credits: twentysixdoubleO
Arguably, the world is stuck in a permanent crisis or perma-crisis. Essentially, this refers to a prolonged period of insecurity and instability where crises are interconnected and overlap.
To be clear, this doesn’t mean that life is completely awful, there’s no hope, or that there’s no beauty or happiness to be found. Quite the opposite. But it would be naive to turn a blind eye to all the major challenges that people living in modern times face. Life is complicated, and problems are often intertwined with the positives.
Not to mention the fact that human beings are hardwired to pay more attention to negative news than to positive information, meaning that the extent of the dystopia you think you’re in is (probably) exaggerated.
#2 Wow
Image credits: Krallorddark
#3 Smiling Through The Dystopian Nightmare
Image credits: CrimsonGrimm
Negativity bias means that people tend to dwell on negative events longer, and they register negative stimuli more readily.
According to Verywell Mind, this is why you might feel worse after being criticized than you feel good after being praised. In a nutshell, due to this bias, traumas have long-term effects, bad impressions are hard to overcome, and people tend to notice (and later remember) negative things much more.
#4 School Bus Advertisement For Body Armor
Image credits: reddit.com
#5 Ad Is More Important Than Daylight
Image credits: LunarLuxa
#6 A Letter To Humans Of The Future On The Site Of Iceland’s First Dead Glacier
Image credits: Lord_Balconyham
Human beings tend to:
- Pay more attention to negative events compared to positive ones
- Learn more from negative experiences
- Make decisions based on negative information
- React more strongly to negative stimuli
- Think about negative things more frequently than positive ones
- Remember negative events more vividly
- Be more motivated to avoid something negative than to gain something positive
- Believe negative news to be more truthful
#7 Shout Out The Worst Place I Ever Worked (Minimum Wage, Of Course)
Image credits: reddit.com
#8 Whoever Made This Billboard Can Shove It
Image credits: zuzuofthewolves
#9 It Went So Far It Doesn’t Seem Real Anymore… But It Is
Image credits: reddit.com
There’s an evolutionary basis for focusing on all the negative stuff so much. It’s basically your brain’s way of keeping you safe(r).
As per Verywell Mind, paying attention to negative, dangerous, threatening things found in the world “was literally a matter of life and death.”
Individuals who paid more attention to all the bad stuff in their environment were more likely to survive and procreate, passing on their genes.
#10 Reality Is Often Disappointing
Image credits: cunnyslam
#11 Having To Scan A QR Code In Case Of Emergency
Image credits: mymantheguy
#12 Upvote If You Would Never Donate Money To Kylie Jenner
Image credits: reddit.com
So, how do you actually function properly when you’re constantly bombarded by stress and anxiety-inducing news? It’s not exactly rocket science, but it does require discipline. For one, you’ve got to reprioritize your well-being, getting your physical and mental health back in shape. And secondly, you’ve got to limit and recontextualize all the negative things you see online.
In terms of your well-being, make sure that you’re getting the basics right. Make sure that you’re getting enough sleep, water, and nutritious food. Spend time with your loved ones, friends, and coworkers who energize rather than drain you.
Get plenty of exercise. Spend time outdoors. Focus on your hobbies and other purposeful activities. Meditate. Avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, eating processed foods, and spending time with toxic people.
#13 We Live In A Dystopia
Image credits: JPHilllllll
#14 My Fortune Cookie Had A Qr Code Ad Inside
Image credits: CAD8033
#15 Ah Yeah Heaven
Image credits: giz-a-kiss
Naturally, if you’re constantly anxious, then you need to review your digital habits as well. If you spend a large portion of your day scrolling social media, browsing the news, and getting agitated, clearly, something needs to change.
That’s not to say that staying up-to-date with the news isn’t important. It is, very much so. But there’s a balance between staying informed and obsessing over every tiny update.
#16 This Billboard Like 100 Ft Off My College Campus
Image credits: Aarwolf
#17 This Dystopia Is Boring, I’m Plugging In
Image credits: buzzwrong
#18 AI Company’s ‘Stop Hiring Humans’ Ads All Over Sf
Image credits: MetaKnowing
When every piece of new information is world-shattering Breaking News, nothing is. If you think everything is urgent and that your life depends on following every single social media post or bit of news that comes out, you’ll burn out sooner rather than later.
According to Search Engine Journal, the average person worldwide spends around 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media every single day.
The New York Times suggests that one of the ways you could cut back on screen time is to use apps that gamify how long you don’t use your smartphone. The goal is to turn time away from your phone into a habit.
#19 My University Is Replacing The Graduation Announcer With An AI Announcer
Image credits: fruitytonic
#20 Ads Playing On Repeat Inside My School
Image credits: AragamiDF
#21 This Restaurant’s Bathroom Faucet Has A Display For Ads
Image credits: alezam7
Another way to do this is to physically separate yourself from your devices so that you’re present and focused on the people closest to you.
For example, you could set one day each week when you and your family put away your phones. Of course, bring your phone with you in case there’s an emergency, but keep it out of sight.
#22 What A Time To Be Alive
Image credits: 1195Goldust
#23 Welcome To Your Dystopian Future!
Image credits: cocainehussein
#24 Stop This Dystopian Acceptance
Image credits: Dragonwick
What’s more, you could try charging your phone in another room than where you sleep or getting a physical alarm clock to wake you up. You could even consider getting a so-called dumbphone so that you only use it for what’s strictly necessary, instead of mindlessly browsing social media.
#25 Don’t Solve The Problem, Just Spend Tons Of Money To Ignore It
Image credits: reddit.com
#26 USA Auctioning Humanitarian Daily Rations In Hawaii
Image credits: Bigbadmayo
#27 This Display Is How I Learned That Missouri Banned An Introductory Book About Oil Painting
Image credits: UndyingCorn
At the end of the day, staying informed about the most important news and trends is vital not only to survive but also to thrive. But your physical and mental health come first. And that means limiting how much negative information you consume (even though your brain is constantly urging you to!).
#28 My Company Made $1 Billion In Revenue And We Get Cupcakes To Celebrate
During my annual performance meeting, I thankfully received a 4% raise, but I am still paid $18k under the poverty line for my city. But at least I get free cupcakes next week!
Image credits: ZealousSilver
#29 Capitalism Reinventing Itself – Or So They Say
Image credits: westgot
#30 Seen In Brooklyn. This Isn’t Clever, Doordash. Just Sad
Image credits: elliemcgregor
What do you think, Pandas?
Which of these images do you think most accurately represents the current state of the world? What do you personally believe are the biggest challenges that people living in this day and age face?
Realistically, what do you think could be done to move the world away from the dystopian nightmare it seems to be stuck in? How do you moderate the amount of time you spend on social media and reading the news? Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments at the bottom of this post.
#31 We Are Truly Living In A Dystopian Time Period
Image credits: Phil_Lewis_
#32 This Packet Of Microwave Noodles Has AI Generated Packaging
Image credits: Sjknight413
#33 Poverty Wages Now Outsourced
Image credits: Lavidius
#34 Self-Driving Waymo Involved In Crash In Chandler
Image credits: ABC15 Arizona
#35 Had My First AI Drive Through Experience
Image credits: lonelywhalien52
#36 How Is Underpaid Child Labor Legal?
Image credits: LilPeep1k
#37 This Year, Give Your Special Someone The Gift Of Accessing The American Healthcare System
Image credits: RumHam2010
#38 NBC Is Turning Water Into Thousands Of Pounds Of Real Snow For Their ‘Once In A Lifetime’ Superbowl Coverage… In Southern California.. During A Drought
Image credits: WittsandGrit
#39 This Is The Most Depressing Thing I’ve Seen In A While
Image credits: egoraptor
#40 This Store Announces They Collect Your Biometric Data
Image credits: wood_nich
#41 This Is Veterans Row. A 3 Block Homeless Camp In West L.A. Where Homeless Veterans Live In
Image credits: reddit.com
#42 Large Company Filled With Over Worked And Underpaid Employees Decided To Do A Squid Games Themed Team Building Day In An Apparent Lack Of Self-Awareness
No one seemed to notice the irony… That the contestants are victims of a dystopian capitalist society and are out for themselves, not the team…
Image credits: Witty_G_22
#43 Free Enterprise Strikes Again
Image credits: cszabla
#44 This Dystopian Street Sign In NYC Requests Cash For Diabetic Supplies
Image credits: arb7721
#45 My City Rolled Out A Yearly EMS Subscription
Image credits: superzuludawn
#46 Over 2,000 Pounds Of Fresh Pork Being Rejected By The Walmart Distribution Center Because The Sell By Dates Occur When Their Stores Are Closed For Thanksgiving
This product will still be safe to eat for the next 15 days, but they won’t even attempt to sell. This will end up in a dumpster today.
Image credits: OTTER__VOMIT
#47 This Made Me Mutter To Myself
Image credits: reddit.com
#48 They’ve Started Using AI Models For Hair Dye Boxes??
Image credits: ratteaf
#49 When Your Boss Is A Robot
Image credits: reddit.com
#50 This “Funny” Movie Ad Casually Recognizing How Many People Are Suffering On Their Way To Work. It Was Plastered On Every Bus In The City For About A Month
Image credits: IAlbatross
#51 And They Didn’t Post A Salary Either
Image credits: purpleushi
#52 Dystopian Storage Container Walls Around People’s Park In Berkeley Ca To Keep Homeless Out
Image credits: Psyzak1313
#53 When You Live In America And Go To The Hospital For Food Poisoning
Image credits: Togapen_Digital
#54 My Text Book For School Came In With A Boxed Red Bull
Image credits: themustymaggotmarket
#55 School Put Gates To Lock Bathrooms Between And During Classes
Image credits: Imapunchthismofo
#56 Taco Bell Instructing Its Employees What They Can And Cannot Say On The Workers’ Own Social Media
Image credits: Harvickfan4Life
#57 The Dystopian Future We’ve All Been Asking For Is Here! Unbelievable!
Image credits: Curiouscrispy
#58 The Dystopian Future Where Daycare And Parental Leave Are Replaced With Babies At Your Workplace
Image credits: BLAZINGSORCERER199
#59 AI Burgers On Uber Eats. Upsetting
Image credits: Subdued_851
#60 Buy Now, Pay Later At The Local Grocery Butcher
Image credits: FridaMercury
#61 My Local Drugstore Locks The Beef Jerky In Anti-Theft Boxes
Image credits: Grawgar
#62 My Pizza Came With Trump Ads On Napkins
Image credits: untruecivility30
#63 Outshine The Owner, Earn $15/Hr
Image credits: theleopardmessiah
#64 The Military Gets Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars A Year, Yet Soldiers Have To Beg Civilians For The Right To Call Their Families
Image credits: butter-no-parsnips
#65 You Wanna See Some Really Dystopian Stuff?
Image credits: bvttfvcker
#66 An Actual Poster At My Work. Dystopian Vibes, Anyone?
Image credits: kathryn12345
#67 Fashion
Image credits: reddit.com
#68 Self-Driving Tesla Accident With Promobot Robot By The Witness
Image credits: Promobot Russia
#69 If You Spend More Than 30 Minutes In This Restaurant, You Are No Longer A Customer- You’re Just Loitering
Image credits: Jenn1110
#70 The Envelope My Tax Return Came With This On It
Image credits: boho_bear
#71 This Antenna That Looks Like A Tree
Image credits: Kattsu-Don
#72 MTA Installs Turnstile Spikes To Combat Fare Evasion
Image credits: thenewyorkgod
#73 Forcing Workers To Come In During A Category 4 Hurricane
Image credits: reddit.com
#74 What‘S Recommended On Facebook Nowadays…
Image credits: Broadcastthatboom
#75 I Think The Fact That Texas Roadhouse Employees Are Forced To Wear This To Work Is Very Dystopian
Image credits: reddit.com
#76 I Hate It Here
Image credits: return2ozma
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