The New New
The Most Pernicious Misconception About Democracy Is That We Think We Are Living in One
Legendary sci-fi writer Malka Older on what happens when real life increasingly resembles a dystopian novel
Malka Older’s new speculative novel, State Tectonics, imagines a radically different world order from the one we know: Instead of residing in sovereign nation states, citizens of Older’s world opt in and out of small, distributed, heterogeneous communities based on their preferences. Some people want a hard line on crime, others prioritize universal health care and education, and still others seek out laissez-faire corporate governance. There’s something for everyone, and if you don’t like it, you can always switch. The entire system is stitched together by “Information,” a massive and highly bureaucratic organization that provides ubiquitous digital infrastructure, fact checks content, and monitors elections. Just like Google, Facebook, and Amazon fight for users today, in Older’s world, a diverse set of governments built atop Information constantly vie to attract citizens.
But even the most well-designed systems can be subverted, and within Information, numerous factions are trying to do just that: circumventing Information’s panopticon, spying on…
