Fenco

Sina pulled the lever of the Fenco Payroller. The little wheel began spinning. This was the highlight of her day. Seeing the little icons with all the prospective prizes whiz by always got Sina dreaming. Today could be the day that she could win retirement on her very own island! Or a year vacation trip around all the biggest Fenco Cities! Or a fancy dinner at a five-star Fenco Diner. Or some Furniture Credits?

The little melody of beeps reached its apex as her prize flashed on screen. A second spin on a random day within the next month. Sina was giddy with delight. The Fenco psychologists really knew how to make the citizen employees happy. These elements of randomness interlocked so elegantly. And one day of work for one go at the Fenco Payroller was more than fair given the quality of some of the things you could get.

A Fenco pod pulled up and Sina got in. On the keyboard she selected her home address S1-N4. She still had enough Drink Credits to order a Fencola for the trip home. While the noiseless pod raced through the black tunnels Sina enjoyed some 2040s oldies while sipping on her fizzy refreshment. She knew what a luxury it was to be able to listen to so many songs. A couple years back the Fenco Payroller had landed on a fifty year unlimited song pass. If she listened with other people they of course still had to pay, but in cases like these where she was completely alone she could listen to as many songs from the catalogue as she wanted.

Rootin' Toot by The Fencehoppers faded to silence as the pod pulled up in front of her apartment. Sina got out and picked up the basic meal in front of her door as the pod sped off. She had spend her last Food Credits two weeks ago when she'd had celebrated her birthday with a couple of friends. But luckily Fenco didn't let anyone starve. Basic meals—just like transport to and from work, and even the basic apartments—were free for anyone, even those who didn't want to work. Sina shook her head as she thought of the people who didn't work for Fenco. How could one be so ungrateful?

She entered her apartment and turned on some music again. Her dashboard flared up and informed her that seven of her co-workers had thanked her for her work today. She tapped all the "thank back" button to keep the streaks going.

I'm so blessed, she thought as she unzipped her meal.

On "Fenco" | 2023-11-19

Yes, this is very cliché. My inspiration were all the YA dystopian stories most of which aren't any better. Maybe I'll try my hands again at a smarter dystopia on one of the remaining days…

Inspiration for the mechanics obviously comes from the many Dark patterns used on the internet, specifically social media. Randomized rewards, free samples, an opaque system of multiple different currencies, social reciprocity in combination with streaks, etc.

Then there's the classic trope of people not having names, with Sina just being an interpretation of her address (S1N4) and of course one company owning everything.

But what was most important to me here was to portray Sina as not only content, but maybe even happy in this system. People addicted to social media tell themselves (and sometimes others) that they actually enjoy it. A minority of gamers is in favour of loot boxes not because they think it's a fair business model, but because they like buying them. People working at "hip" tech firms with bean bags in the office claim they enjoy working with "friends" and like staying late at the office "for the atmosphere".

I'm too cynical to believe such happiness to be "real" (whatever that means), but I'm also realist enough to know that all that could get me too.

Should we go work at Fenco and be as happy as Sina, or do we need to free Sina? Is doing neither a fair option?

Sina "unzipping" the meal just came to me, but I think that's really good. It's so weird.

Thoughts? Reach out via Mastodon @Optional@dice.camp or shoot me an email.