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Ep31. 浮沉於虛擬藥物的早上

幻想下,你而家喺床上面暖笠笠嘅被鋪入面。 而家係朝頭早嘅8點正,鬧鐘根據你琴晚上床訓覺嘅時間、日出時間同埋你今日嘅agenda計算到你今朝差唔多時間起身。

"Hi Joanna. Your mood is under average rating vs population. You are prescribed a dose of happiness today. Please make sure you take it before your 9.25am appointment."

大家好嗎?今集嘅開頭同平時有啲唔同,係我琴日睇一個trend report嘅時候覺得好驚嚇嘅一個新發明。講開trend reports,我都喺節目入面提過幾次,究竟係咩嚟架呢?我唔鍾意劈頭劈腦講一啲out of context嘅嘢,所以容許我講少少乜嘢係trend forecasting。

因為我嘅工作係同innovation有關,所以特別留意新嘅concept同產品,所以工作上我最鍾意做嘅嘢就係睇trend reports。呢一啲trend reports通常都係同一啲trend forecasting嘅公司買嘅。如果你對innovation adoption curve有認識,亦可以叫diffusion of innovation,即係話新嘅產品、科技,點樣由一小撮人延伸到社會嘅大部份人。通常開始嘅係innovators,佔人口嘅2.5%;跟住就到early adoptors(13.5%),一啲最先受到新資訊、發明,然後會用佢哋自己嘅平台發放出去嘅人;early majority (34%)、late majority (34%)、laggards (16%)即係嗰啲好遲先接受新嘢嘅人。一個人可以係唔同嘅方面係唔同嘅stage,例如可能科技方面你係early adopters, 但係飲食方面你係laggards。市面上嘅市場調查公司通常都係研究early到late majority嘅消費者,因為佢哋佔人口比例最多,而trend forecasting就係研究一啲帶領潮流嘅,例如innovators & early adopters。簡單來講,trend forecasters就係一啲想幫我哋描繪未來係點嘅人。好多大嘅公司,如果佢哋對未來有雄心壯志,都應該有一team人,去消化呢啲report。作為一個futurist,我最開心就係睇呢啲report。我睇trends嘅用意唔係想知道究竟呢一啲新概念、產品幾時會大賣,因為好多時候都唔會,如果會嘅話咁呢啲trend forecasting公司就發咗達啦。最重要係睇發明背後嘅intention同埋對某一啲主題嘅睇法,佢哋點樣frame個問題(因為通常佢哋都係想problem solve)同佢哋對未來嘅展望。

其中一個report入面,我遇到一個非常有趣嘅concept同相應嘅產品。喺我哋越嚟越注重心理健康、社交媒體越嚟越影響我哋嘅情緒嘅macro-environment嘅前提下,個concept叫digital nutrition,間公司叫AeBeZe,佢哋explore嘅係pharmaceutical power of media and the disruptive concept of digital nutrition(媒體作為藥劑同數碼營養嘅可能性)【1】。平時我哋話網上嘅內容冇營養,都只不過係比喻網上內容係食物,但係呢一間公司係嚟真架。佢哋根據研究同machine learning,將內容分析,然後推斷內容對我哋情緒嘅影響,甚至會將呢一啲內容(deep semantics content) map去唔同嘅neurotransmitters activation,例如gaba、testosterone、dopamine、endorphins、oxytocin、serotonin等等,然後再根據呢啲neurotransmitters嘅高低map去唔同嘅情緒。係呢度呢我會將呢個公司嘅pitch video link喺文章入面【1】,你可以睇下佢哋點樣phrase佢哋嘅發明。原因不外乎話我哋而家心理健康好差,我哋去超級市場都會check食物嘅營養標籤,點解我哋唔會將我哋網上所接受嘅嘢都加上呢啲情緒標籤?例如一篇文章會寫明會activate你邊一種neurotransmitter,估計會令你有咩情緒。點樣應用呢?例如你將會有一個好stressful嘅會,咁樣你可以係開會之前之後,俾一啲digital content自己睇,例如Netflix、Spotify、文章等等,向自己self-dose「情緒藥物」(digital drugs)。「why don’t we take an automated approach and algorithmically determine what we should hear, see or experience, and then self-dose with digital ‘treatments’ that can improve unwanted mood states as they crop up」,令自己可以「optimise」情緒。

呢一個咁嘅發明,你覺得點呢?我就覺得幾dystopian。我一向都好抗拒任何量度身體嘅機器,例如我最討厭就係嗰啲量度睡眠質素嘅手錶,好簡單,如果你唔係職業運動員,你需唔需要靠隻錶嚟話俾你聽你瞓得好唔好?點解咁intuitive嘅嘢我哋要outsource俾一隻錶?又例如量度心跳等等,如果係健康嘅需要,冇問題,但有好多人平時冇嘢做就搵啲嘢嚟度,again, what gets measured gets managed. 我哋想管理健康,冇問題,但係個問題係who measures, and who manages it。正如《娛樂至死》入面講時鐘嘅觀點係,時鐘變成咗我哋接觸大自然嘅媒體,而我哋亦都將呢啲度心跳、睡眠質素嘅錶放喺我哋同自己嘅身體中間。講返呢個concept,我哋將我哋同吸收嘅電子資訊直接聯繫切割,加啲「情緒標籤」,從而「管理」自己嘅情緒。其實我哋而家都做緊相同嘅嘢,例如大壓力會睇笑片或者無線嗰啲垃圾劇、無聊youtube video,但起碼係我哋自己察覺自己嘅情緒,我哋自己evaluate唔同嘅內容對我哋嘅影響。而依家我哋似乎步向緊嘅係,樣樣嘢都需要中間隔著algorithm。呢個公司嘅產品,唔難想像會去到一個階段係,佢detect到你今日情緒有唔好,然後prioritize一啲會令你開心嘅內容俾你。好聽就話幫助optimise情緒,難聽講就係外判自己嘅情緒管理。隨之而來嘅係大數據歸納人民情緒、automation自動推送某一啲內容。

我唔反對我哋都要好好正視情緒問題,但我並唔覺得呢個產品嘅方向係正確,因為咁樣同麻醉自己冇分別。你唔開心咩?嗱呢度有啲開心嘢,你睇啦!我覺得已經係《美麗新世界》成真啦,我完全幻想到書入面嘅人接受嗰啲treatment就係呢啲,又令我諗起《A Clockwork Orange》(發條橙)入面嗰個 Ludovico Technique,一個改變行為嘅treatment。我冇睇過本書或者套戲,但係相信大家都有見過一個劇照就係有個人對眼俾機器擘大(唔係周星馳呀哈哈),佢被逼睇一啲暴力嘅畫面,另外被注射一啲令到佢身體好難受嘅藥物,用意就係將暴力同身體唔舒服嘅感覺連繫【2】。其實如果有一日現實嘅極權政府用呢種方法嚟令大家都好開心、滿足,都唔係天方夜譚。起碼我知道《發條橙》入面嘅概念某一啲強國都應該都用緊啦。

另外,點解我哋好似覺得一啲負面嘅情緒係負面?冇錯佢係會令到我哋唔開心,但係呢啲係唔係我哋心理平衡嘅一種機制?有無心理醫生、精神科醫生可以解答下?如果我聽日家人遇上意外,我唔開心,咁我係咪要去self-dose一下自己令自己開心啲?咁我係咪就會忘記咗家人有事嘅事實?某一種情緒反應係咪都係我哋cope with trauma嘅機制?如果人人都開心,咁個感覺係咪仲係叫開心?我唔係覺得唔開心係一件好事,但我總係覺得佢只係反映我哋所面對嘅現實。例如香港人普遍情緒有問題,但個問題唔係情緒,係現實令人痴咗線。又令我諗起一個概念叫toxic positivity,意指我哋盲目追求正能量,去到一個極點係無視一啲值得唔開心、憤怒嘅嘢,例如好多人講嘅「good vibes only」都係其中toxic positivity嘅延伸。最後,我哋會唔會對呢一種電子藥物上癮呢?

【1】https://aebeze.com/future-vision-long/

【2】https://the-take.com/read/what-is-the-ludovico-technique-in-a-clockwork-orange-and-how-does-it-work