The Russia’s State Social University (RSSU) has launched a “social rating” platform that claims to build a person’s “social portrait” with possible applications in future government policies.
Named “We,” the platform promises to determine a user’s comparative “social status” based on a survey that includes questions about income, family status, benefits, creditworthiness, criminal record, lifestyle and state awards, among others.
“The social rating figures don’t affect [a person’s] life, the availability of services or the career trajectory in any way,” RSSU said on the platform’s website. “But who knows what these figures will mean for you in the future?”
Observers on social media compared the platform’s name “We” to the highly influential 1921 dystopian novel of the same name by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin. [The novel “We” describes a world of harmony and conformity within a united totalitarian state. It inspired British author George Orwell to write his own novel, “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, which was published in 1949.]
Wasn’t this a Black Mirror episode? No… I think it was The Orville, maybe.
Barely related: I recently noticed the YouTube series Omeleto. You might like it.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’m always up for new series. Recently started getting into police interview videos and long-form docuseries like The Alt-Right Playbook.
I’ll add Omeleto to my viewing list and let you know what I think when I watch it!