This TV ad promoting Verizons Droid DNA phone is weird, cringe-worthy and also promotes something else: Transhumanism. Indeed, the ad does not only sell a smartphone. Not unlike movies and music videos, it normalizes the concept of upgrading humans by merging them with machines.
While most of us already entertain a somewhat unhealthy, dependent relationship with our cellphones, this ad makes things creepier by showing the device completely modifying the users body and genetic makeup. Yes, it is only a commercial, but all of the concepts behind it are real and will be available to a very rich and limited public very soon. Heres the ad.
The ad takes place in some kind of transhumanist lab where the Droid DNA Augmentation process begins. Right from the start, we hear the usual vocabulary associated with transhumanism such as augmentation, upgrade and so forth. Many people believe that the human body is the most advanced machine on Earth. Not transhumanists.
When connected to the phone, the guys DNA makeup changes into a black, artificial, robotic DNA string. Was that included in his 3 year contract with Verizon?
Something is then shot right in the guys veins. Meanwhile, we hear neuro-speeds increased to 4G. Yes, they do love shooting or inserting things into our bodies under the guise of its good for you in order to better monitor and control us.
While scientists are supervising the procedure, we hear brain upgraded to a Quad Core processor. Really? Are our brains inferior to a Quad Core processor, a technology that will be totally obsolete in about 10 months? Didnt know our brains were Pentium 4s.
The ad ends with a purely transhumanist slogan: Its not an upgrade to your phone, its an upgrade to yourself. Yes. And then, if they dont like you, theyll just re-format your Quad-Core processor brain and re-install a better version of you. Go transhumanism!
( via vigilantcitizen.com )