Day 21 - Sea Day - The Assimilated

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Over the past several days, family and close friends have inquired regarding our safety. Yes, we are safe and from my perspective everything is going well. It appears several social media posts are portraying something quite different. Rather than propagate the drama, let me share my observations.

The ship feels less crowded and the passengers seem more relaxed and content than on any of our previous cruises. People are polite, considerate and seldom rush anywhere. Lines are short to non-existent and everyone politely queues without the typical elbowing and line jumping. People pick up after themselves and I have not seen a single unruly drunk. Like expected, the ship staff are exceptional and the food is outstanding. Let's be honest, what are the odds of a TikTok post going viral with content like this?

It appears many passengers are puzzled by the ship's TikTok popularity and question if we are even on the same ship? Given the obvious disparity, exactly what are the influencers' motives? How can social media be this wrong? Are other social media topics this biased too? If so, are people unknowingly using biased social media content to form opinions and make life changing decisions?

On an interesting side note, science fiction authors often seek potential stories by examining emerging technologies and projecting impacts on society. In the early 1990's the internet began transitioning from primarily academic and government use into the general public. During the transition, writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced a fictional race known as the Borg. They were cybernetic beings with a collective consciousness, seeking to assimilate other species and their technologies into their hive mind. Basically, the conquered enemies were assimilated into the Borg collective as non-thinking individuals following the collective's desires to conquer the universe. The stories were interesting and foretold the dangers of unchecked technological advancement and the loss of individuality.

Beware faithful followers, "Resistance is Futile."
Location: 59G3JJMQ+8V

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