Telepathic WhatsApp around the corner
Scientists envision a future where people’s minds are connected using hi-tech
There was a time when many people thought the internet was a passing fad, a notion which, when you think about it now, is laughable.
We’ve been so captured by the internet that those of us who started working before its advent keep asking ourselves: how did we survive without it?
Through the internet we can study, watch rare videos, and conduct research at neck-breaking speed without leaving our homes.
Now scientists are taking interconnectivity to another level. They are bringing us artificial telepathy.
In strict scientific terms, telepathy means that rare ability some individuals have to speak to each other through their minds.
Artificial telepathy can be simplified as follows: at the moment through the internet you can connect globally with people who share the same interests as you.
When technology-aided telepathy is launched, you will be able to connect your mind to the minds of people who share your interests, no matter where they are.
It will be like joining a WhatsApp group. If you are in a WhatsApp group, we can monitor your thoughts through what you say if we are in the same group.
Almost like signing up for WhatsApp, to join the “telepathic” community you will have a chip implanted in your body, after which your brain activity will enable you to tap into the minds of those in the group, and vice versa.
To break it down further: at the moment you can have a “friend” on Facebook who is based in China with whom you have intimate conversations without ever meeting them – but only if you are on Facebook, or whatever platform.
Naturally, there will be people who will baulk at the notion of having their thoughts read by others; they will be able to refuse to have the telepathy chip implanted. But then, they will be outsiders.
I don’t know about you, but it took some of my friends a long time to start using e-mail. When they realised that if they were not on e-mail they were not contactable, and therefore missing out on opportunities, they reluctantly signed up.
The notion of having one’s thoughts open to the public will clearly turn the concept of privacy on its head.
However, when you come to think of it, we are already halfway to that destination.
Whenever we log on to the internet and start searching for stuff, the internet is in turn tapping into our brains, so to speak.
Based on your search history, the internet can formulate an almost accurate profile of you. If, say, you take regular visits to online bookstores or music shops, the next time you log on you will be confronted – on your Facebook or Yahoo! page – with adverts that are biased towards your interests.
The company that owns Facebook is one of many that are researching the feasibility of telepathy technology. We’re being sold convenience and speed at solving problems. But at what price?
In an interview in June 2015, the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, said, “One day, I believe we’ll be able to send full rich thoughts to each other directly using technology. You’ll think of something and your friends will immediately be able to experience it too if you’d like.”
Tapping into each other’s minds will help us form communities that are quick at solving problems, and helping each other in whatever way. It will be easier and quicker to mobilise people around a cause, for example.
Not everyone is altruistic and kind thought. Imagine Donald Trump tapping into your mind. On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind tapping into the mind of Zodwa Wabantu. Or Beyoncé. Chew on that!