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.]
@0x815@feddit.org I got a report for this post, because it uses an “editorialized title, clickbait”. I don’t really agree with the report, so I will let the post stand and leave the discussion open.
However, we currently don’t have a rule concerning editorialized titles. I’d suggest to avoid such titles, at least for the time being. (I find it entirely possible that you didn’t change the title and the difference is to be blamed on an A/B test on the part of the source. In that case, please ignore.)
The original title is “Russian University Launches ‘Social Rating’ Platform”, which could be misleading. Readers in a community called ‘Europe’ may understand this rating is for students of this university, but the university developed this for the Russian citizens. I edited the title for clarity, which is sometimes necessary.
Finally we can make “-3000 Social credits” jokes in reference to Russia!
I love technology…
“But who knows what these figures will mean for you in the future?”
The perfect sentence to read with a heavy russian accent.
Wasn’t this a Black Mirror episode? No… I think it was The Orville, maybe.
It definitely was. Didn’t really care for the show until this and some later episodes. Still didn’t hold my attention long enough. Just not a fan of Seth McFarland’s face. Didn’t feel like a good role for him and the show started super slow. Kind of like Farcscape, it took a bit to get its sea legs!
Barely related: I recently noticed the YouTube series Omeleto. You might like it.
I thought this was gonna be a Boring Dystopia topic
