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Torment Nexus

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Updated Jun 17, 2024 at 10:23AM EDT by Zach.

Added Jun 14, 2022 at 07:59PM EDT by Philipp.

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Related Explainer: What Is 'Torment Nexus?' The 'Man-Made Horrors' Trope Explained

About

Torment Nexus is a trope of creating a product that was originally described in fiction as something that for the benefit of humanity should never be created. Spawned by a viral tweet, the catchphrase "Don't Create the Torment Nexus" has been used to describe such occurrences. Examples include MoviePass' eye-tracking technology, similar to a Black Mirror episode, and Netflix's Squid Game reality show, based on a show of the same name that was intended as a commentary on capitalism and human exploitation.

Origin

On November 8th, 2021, two weeks following Meta presenting their metaverse vision at Meta Connect 2021, Twitter[1] user @AlexBlechman made a humorous tweet in which he described a tech company blindly creating Torment Nexus from a sci-fi novel called Don't Create the Torment Nexus. The tweet gained over 35,000 retweets and 120,800 likes in seven months (shown below).


Alex Blechman @AlexBlechman Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus 5:49 PM Nov 8, 2021. Twitter Web App

Spread

The post by AlexBlechman received viral spread through reposts on other social media in the following weeks. For example, on November 22nd, 2021, Redditor CalibanDrive reposted it to the /r/ABoringDystopia[2] subreddit, where it gained over 15,800 upvotes in seven months. A repost to the /r/Cyberpunk[3] subreddit made on January 22nd, 2022, received over 10,300 upvotes in five months.

Following the tweet, the phrases "Torment Nexus," "Don't create the Torment Nexus" and variations achieved virality as a comment on news of various perceivably dystopian technologies being developed, similar to the Man-Made Horrors Beyond My Comprehension meme. For example, on February 13th, 2022, Twitter[4] user @ThomasPortz replied with a screenshot of the Torment Nexus tweet to the news of MoviePass intending to track people's eyes through cameras while they watch ads, similar to a scene from a Black Mirror episode. The tweet gained over 360 retweets and 4,000 likes in four months (shown below, left).


Franco Ronconi @FrRonconi - Jan 7 In the future our lives will be infused by #6G-powered #Mixed Reality, at a very high speed (up to 200 Gbps) #AR #VR #MR #Metaverse #China #CES2022 @JoannMoretti @CurieuxExplorer @anand_narang @Hana_ElSayyed @TheAditya Patro @Pawlowski Mario @MargaretSiegien @kalydeoo @enilev K 发送消息 19 X=3- AREA TERACTIVE NEW AN Am 五星好评 chua star LEKS 0:00 3.1M views Jul 1,869 18,239 El Gato Astronomico @MitchyDelta Replying to @FrRonconi @Joann Moretti and 8 others I'm so glad so many people are working hard to create the Torment Nexus 4:21 AM Jan 9, 2022. Twitter Web App 5,200 : ←] k @skepticalspice - Feb 12 what stage of capitalism is this MoviePass will track people's eyes through their phone's cameras to make sure they don't look away from ads Adam Smith Sat, 12 February 2022, 5:36 pm - 2-min read movie pass. Where we are movies inexpensively but shut down in 2019, is returning as an app that will track users' eyes when they watch adverts. The new service will use facial recognition and eye-tracking technology to ensure that viewers eyes are looking at promoted content in exchange for access to films. The tracking will happen only on the user's device with the digital currency then going to a virtual wallet. The facial recognition algorithm, using the phones' cameras, will make sure the user is not ignoring the advert. "As I'm looking at it, it's playing back. But if I stop and I'm not paying attention to it, it actually pauses the content," Spikes said. 471 3,200 18.7K LunarLiv @LunarLivH - Feb 12 This is just that thing from black mirror where it creates a loud screeching noise that gets louder and louder if people aren't watching the ads. Could we stop making things from black mirror into real things thanks. 7 195 3,467 Thomas Portz @ThomasPortz Replying to @LunarLivH and @skepticalspice Alex Blechman @AlexBlechman Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus 5:49 p.m. 08 Nov. 21. Twitter Web App 10:06 AM - Feb 13, 2022- Twitter for Android PR

On June 14th, 2022, after Netflix announced the development of a reality TV show based on its hit survival drama Squid Game, multiple tweets bringing up the Torment Nexus trope were made. For example, a tweet[5] by Twitter user @NerdyChineseBoy (shown below, left) gained 10,400 retweets and 60,000 likes in less than 24 hours, and a tweet[6] by @blockwonkel received over 190 retweets and 1,000 likes in a similar timeframe (shown below, center).


Hans // // Story Artist; available for work! @NerdyChineseBoy Alex Blechman @AlexBlechman Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus . 5:49 p.m. 08 Nov. 21. Twitter Web App Nibel @Nibellion . 16h Netflix is developing a Squid Games reality TV show where 456 participants fight for the chance to win $4.56m hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/net... 1:51 PM. Jun 14, 2022. Twitter for Android 456 Blick Winkel@AX 2022!? (H. Anthony Israel) @blockwonkel Replying to @DiscussingFilm Alex Blechman @AlexBlechman Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus 4:49 PM 08 Nov 21 Twitter Web App 34.1K Retweets 1,118 Quote Tweets 118K Likes DiscussingFilm @DiscussingFilm · 6h A reality competition series 'SQUID GAME: THE CHALLENGE' is in the works at Netflix. 456 players will compete for $4.56 million by going through various challenges inspired by the series. SQUID GAME THE CHALLENGE 2:27 PM Jun 14, 2022. Twitter for Android

You May Live To See Man-Made Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension

You May Live to See Man-Made Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension is a quote spoken by Nikola Tesla at the first Electrical Exhibition in September 1898 in response to a question about militarizing his radio-controlled model rowboat invention. The quote has been used in memes including image macros and photoshops over the course of the 2000s, often in response to cringeworthy or cursed content. The quote is often written, "You will live to see man-made horrors …"


Join our Discord Server to chat with the NeuralBlender community. Follow us on Twitter. ANeuralBiender.com Man-made horrors beyond your comprehension. 29 Oct 2021 22:54:44 ah sweet man-made ) horrors beyond my comprehension FamiY GUY YOU WILL LIVE TO SEE MAN-MADE HORRORS BEYOND YOUR ÇOMPREHENSION

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Top Comments

TARINunit9
TARINunit9

in reply to UnKewln00b

I'm not sure I 100% agree with "making artificial intelligence, at all, to any extent or for any reason is bad." Even Terminator, THE crazy AI story, only goes as far as "giving control of our nukes to AI is a stupid idea", not "AI existing at all is a stupid idea."

+41
Matau, Toa Of Air
Matau, Toa Of Air

Oh boy, I can't wait for one of the braindead billionaires to hear a synopsis of the Hyperion Cantos and go "Ah, the Shrike's pretty cool, I'll get some of my science guys to build me a Shrike."

…And then wonder why he's getting impaled on the Tree of Pain

+40

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