Why I Founded the FUTURUM Academy!
Arjang Salamat
Let me start on a positive note; I do believe that humans have the power to make meaningful change in their lives and in the world, and that technological advancements are an opportunity to do just that.
I also see the risk posed by these powerful emerging technologies and underlying revenue models to control and manipulate the thoughts, values, beliefs, and behaviors of the youth and vulnerable communities. Unfortunately, with emerging tech, we now have the technology to influence our youth not just in their physical environment, but in their virtual environment as well, anytime and anywhere.
Big tech is using a variety of tactics to monetize our youth and time and future, from using persuasive design tactics to create more addictive and interactive experiences, to promoting products and services tailored for specific audiences' behavior.
They are also using data-driven algorithms and AI to personalize content and messaging that resonates with people's interests, values and beliefs. This allows them to target and tailor their approach to specific people and communities, in order to gain a better understanding of their interests and behaviors. Additionally, they are using marketing techniques such as influencer marketing and affiliate marketing to reach wider audiences and generate more sales. They are also utilizing social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to create more engaging content and promote their products and services. Finally, they are creating more immersive experiences, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive online games, to keep people engaged and build loyalty. All of these tactics are designed to drive more revenue and help companies monetize our youth, future, and create a submissive workforce with low personal, leadership, and life skills.
The current generation of youth, Gen-Alpha, is the first to be born into a world where they are being raised and taught by technology and social media content, rather than by their parents.
With the majority of families having two working parents, most lack the time, energy, capacity, or knowledge to positively engage and teach children on a regular basis and develop the youth's critical skills that will build the foundation for a successful, happy, and productive life. This gap is happily filled by immersive and adaptive social media platforms where kids interact to get the additive dopamine hit and are covertly manipulated by artificial intelligence and machine learning videos and influencer news.
The latest technologies such as Web3.0, Metaverse, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality are a part of this development and can be combined with AI, Machine Learning, Big Data, and Blockchain to create even more seamless and immersive experiences, which could lead to even more possibilities to monetize our youth's future while increasing mental and physical health problems in the years to come.
The longer-term effects of these emerging technologies will be to slowly erode our society's ability to think critically and make connections to the real world outside of the digital realm. It is designed to slowly shift our view of reality and create an environment where we rely more and more on the internet for our information and knowledge, potentially leading to decisions based on false information or a manipulated version of reality. Ultimately, this system is designed to control us and keep us in a state of constant consumption and distraction, preventing us from being productive, engaging in meaningful communication, debate, or developing deeper analytical skills. In short, the emerging system will manipulate and control society, creating a world in which it is increasingly difficult to think independently and constructively.
Now let's ask, from the view of the system designers, who is the most profitable target market?
The cigarette and consumer goods industries know the answer well, the middle-class youth and the next generation of workers and consumers. They are the most profitable long-term markets, manipulated through social engineering tactics perfected through the ages and now delivered anytime, anywhere through innocent and fun games, videos and news.
I do believe that a combination of education, awareness, and government regulation is needed to ensure that technology is used responsibly and ethically, and that the benefits of technology are balanced with the risks.
We must enable and empower our youth to use technology in a productively, responsibly and ethically. We need to have better programs that fosters the youth inquisitive, social, entrepreneurial and free sprite of learning through purposeful projects. Humanity depends on it. We have problems in the world and who will be solving these problems if we don’t equip the youth with a sound mind, body and capabilities.
We must stop telling children what to do and treat our youths as the intelligent and capable humans they are, with capability to understand and absorb better then adults. All they need is a injection of fun, curiosity, interaction, competitions and purposeful mastery.
We must use the social engineering tactics used by big-tech to engage better in face-to-face interactions with the youth and develop the core foundational skills and competencies that will enable them to be productive, reliable, and healthy throughout their lives.
After long contemplation and extensive validation of the issue with countless educators, parents, academics, and other stakeholders across the globe, I'm now ready to take action!
I have founded a non-profit organization, "Fututum Academy" with the purpose of empowering youth and vulnerable communities to be aware of the tactics and technologies used behind the scenes to manipulate their digital interactions. We will encourage responsible use of technology and help people understand the risks and rewards associated with it. At the same time, we will be providing project-based emerging technology programs focused on building the core skills and competencies needed but lacking in our current and future society.
