This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bowling Green chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The reinvigoration of 2016 must bring with it Ida Auken’s design fiction essay “Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better.” The piece, published to the World Economic Forum in November of 2016, was originally written as a provoking thought experiment and was never intended to perfectly predict. Yet the essay did not remain entertaining for long; it quickly spiraled into a controversial conspiracy theory companion, standing in as a manifestic warning. The “own nothing” idea was intended to serve as an examination of the present, not a plan for the future.

Auken’s 2030: A Summary

(I encourage you to read the essay. It is short and simply comprehensible. https://medium.com/world-economic-forum/welcome-to-2030-i-own-nothing-have-no-privacy-and-life-has-never-been-better-ee2eed62f710)

It’s 2030. Technology and artificial intelligence have taken the burden out of humanity. We own nothing. All that we view as products have become services. Why buy a car when a driverless (or flying) vehicle is minutes away? Why rent a space when you can stay in it for free, given that others use the rooms when you’re gone? Appliances at your door within minutes. Food delivery is the norm, not a luxury or a treat. Perhaps best of all: the environment thrives; we run on sustainable services. Services that prioritize longevity and durability rather than quick disposals and one-time use products. Work is viewed as a time for creative enrichment. Everyone gets enough sleep; everyone gets enough food.

Sounds kind of perfect, right?

The dreamy simplicity of Auken’s world is apparent, but what was skimmed over, what lurks beneath the surface, is an ethical dilemma. This utopia exists at the cost of privacy, of ownership over one’s personhood. The algorithm knows you better than you know yourself. All you do, all that you think, everything you dream of, is recorded and saved. Auken slants her essay when she outwardly hopes that no one will use her private desires against her. When thought about, privacy is somewhat of a foreign concept for us today: one easily dreams of hidden cameras, the idea of an IP address, an easily doxed streamer, or a baby that’s shared online and to the world before their eyes even open. The once private oasis of a home or bedroom can likely be spotted in your latest public TikTok, and the GeoGuessr World Champion is already en route to your location! The price of privacy in 2030 is quite similar, and perhaps sweeter, than the idea of privacy in 2026.

The Great Reset

This short piece of speculative fiction, in ways reminiscent of the works of Ray Bradbury and H.G. Wells, was launched into pandemonium when it became warped into the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset Initiative: an economic plan proposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemics. The proposal itself is not insensitive, rather striving for a greener, smarter, and fairer future, but even the WEF’s plans move towards a public society: private corporations gain more and more control. The idea of this reset led some to believe the pandemic was manufactured with the end goal of creating this economy and an image of the utopian society Auken drew up. Her essay stopped feeling speculative and started feeling evidential, orchestrated, and instrumental.

The Dystopia of Today

The importance of this essay, of this futurical glance, lies in dirty mirrors reflecting back a decade later: Clavicular looksmaxxing through bonesmashing; AI actress Tilly Norwood’s six figure deals; the responses to the death of Charlie Kirk; and the ability to know everything about your classmate by a quick Google search. Personal attributes squandered to data. The TikTok account @/ownnothingbehappy shares mostly AI-generated or AI-featured videos of empty realms and smiling girls. A nineties music video nightmare; green screens and all white ensembles.

We’re happy with nothing!

Let them make decisions for you.

Feel the weight of the world lift off your shoulders.

Don’t think.

The Revival of 2016

Though covered in pastel filters and Zara Larsson music, the cry for 2016 cries for a time of lower omniscience and of poorer algorithms. The nostalgia desires for privacy, for ownership. To own is to nurture and care for. Lack of ownership creates lack of care, lack of purpose.

What “Nothing” Means to Me

Originally tempted by the AI girls smiling at me to the beat of A$AP Rocky, I am deeply torn on the concept of Nothing. While Auken portrays a utopian society, the loss of privacy at such a blatant and noticeable level is frightening.

Nothing is peace.

Nothing is comfort.

Nothing is surrender.

Nothing is loss.

Nothing is quiet. A

nd though it holds all these traits, it is hard to fully lean into such a world.

Sources

Original essay: https://medium.com/world-economic-forum/welcome-to-2030-i-own-nothing-have-no-privacy-and-life-has-never-been-better-ee2eed62f710

ownnothing: OWN:NØTHING — A meme, a manifesto, or a misunderstanding?

The Great Reset: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Reset

Own Nothing! Be Happy!