The NPC Meme and How We've all Been Programmed

The NPC Meme started as a reaction to an article suggesting some people don't possess an inner voice, likening these people to computer controlled characters in a video game. it's since been politicized and now describes people who embrace the mainstream institutional narrative and, presumably, don't think for themselves. It's been called dehumanizing and a fascist dog whistle which has gotten a lot of attention on Twitter. Despite the controversy surrounding the meme currently, there's more to it than just politics.

There's a certain irony about a meme, which is defined by its many iterations throughout the culture, that describes people who have their thinking done for them by "the machine". It reflects more on the way we interface with the internet than either side of the political dialogue on twitter. It's especially useful in the context of social media which, by the accounts of people involved in the creation of the largest social media platforms, has damaged the social fabric and exploit human psychology to form an addictive pattern of behavior. 

By using the reward mechanisms in our biology, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and other websites write themselves into the limbic system. Successfully simulating more organic social rewards and concerns. In becoming parts of these social networks, and subjecting ourselves to content filtering algorithms, we are complicit in a behavioral program. Participating in a game of recognition and approval designed to keep our attention on a web page who's value is proportional to the amount of attention it receives.

In this way, whether one is calling others an NPC or claims that the term is dehumanizing, all parties involved are being programmed and utilized by "the machine". Ominous as that may sound, technology has no intrinsic morality and no silicon valley types can force you to use their platforms (at least not yet). It all comes down to how much time and energy one is willing to give the the internet. While nobody is quite like the NPC's you might find in a Bethesda game, nobody who participates in meme culture or social media is truly free from the influence of other individuals or institutions. For better or worse.

Links:

Full Interview with Chamath Palihapitiya from which the clip in the second paragraph was taken

Center for Humane Technology which focuses on rethinking the way applications and devices are made to facilitate a healthier relationship with technology

Limbic Resonance a related and independently interesting concept

A Strangely Prescient Clip from Metal Gear Solid 2 just for fun