This is the best book I have read in a long, long time. I would recommend it to pretty much anyone. I raced through it in about 5 days, which is something I rarely do.
The story takes place in America, several dozen years in the future. In this world, virtual reality technology is widespread and comprises the dominant reality in which people spend their lives. Kids go to school digitally, logging on at home and controlling their avatars as they go through their classes. In fact, digital schools are just one part of a vast digital world called the OASIS, which is where the preponderance of the future economy takes place. Indeed, the physical world we currently inhabit (you and I in 2017) is largely relevant only to the extent that it supports the digital world. Some readers might bemoan the decay of the physical world, but I could not be more excited.
What I most liked about this book was how wonderously plausible this reality seemed. The plot is great and everything, but what I keep thinking about, if not yearning for, is the world in which virtually everything takes place in a digital environment. It allows for the creation of such an exponential increase in wealth as humans have never seen before. Homes, spaceships, even entire worlds can be created with software at near-zero cost, yet it all feels 100% real and convincing. Our already subjective reality as humans is blown wide open to new opportunities, as humans in this new age can create and experience a reality unconstrained by even the laws of physics. Grand adventures, the likes of which are today limited to the imaginations of Dungeons and Dragons players, can be had in real life. The human experience will be enhanced as never before, not diminished.
Beyond understanding the future, spending time in Cline’s world will help you understand the present world and direction that digital technology is leading us. A growing percentage of the world’s wealth is being created in the form of digital assets, rather than physical products. Indeed, a growing portion of the physical world is dedicated to supporting the digital world. Crypto “currencies” currently allow humans to claim exclusive ownership over a digital asset (a necessary stepping stone to the OASIS). This technology enables new and fantastic possibilities for creation of digital wealth at the expense of the physical world (in the short term, think about your metal house key being replaced by a piece of code on your smartphone that only you have access to). As all of this happens, more and more of our time and attention is spent on the digital world, rather than the physical world. Consider, for instance, the amount of time internet-native teenagers spend interacting with peers on social media rather than in person. We already have our avatars, and they are becoming the primary way we interact with one another. The steady shrinking of our physical lives is not a shame, but an opportunity. With time, the depth of these interactions will more closely mirror what we want from them.
Consider grocery checkers. Is that a valuable human interaction? Not really. Thus, it was one we were willing to eliminate with self-checkout machines. So then think about acquaintances from high school you’ve grown apart from. Do you really want more than a, “hm, wonder what they’re up to?” Most people don’t. The “shallow” interaction of following one another’s Facebook profiles is perfect for that. Or perhaps you want to hear interesting thoughts, regardless of who they come from. You have Twitter. What are your friends up to today? Check Snapchat. Eventually, technologies will grow up around helping you interact with loved ones in a deeper, more authentic way, so not all of it has to be shallow. But for now, there are so many interactions that give us the most value for our time when they are shallow. With the streamlining of certain relationships comes greater freedom for other, more valuable pursuits. Make no mistake, as technology progresses, we will have more and more of our lives transferred into the virtual world, not less. The only things which remain physical are those for which technology offers no attractive substitutes. For now.