“At some point during the lockdown, I cannot remember when, we were asked to download this app on our phones. You know, there was paranoia all around. This app was really simple, it was free, worked like they promised. When you stepped out, you’d get an alert if someone near you was infected. We’d call the police, they’d take them away. You can't blame anybody. Everybody was scared, you know. By the time the pandemic ended, this app was like a part of our lives. You still couldn't trust people, you know. It was the first thing you checked when you went to shop, or to the park, or took the bus. Check the app to see what kind of people you are surrounded by - not only those who were infected, but also other profiles - like if there were foreigners in your area, or smokers or meat eaters around you. A few moths later, the app could tell you even more- like if anybody sitting around you in a restaurant is gay, or if they'd been to jail. You never know what these people go to jail for. I set an alert for shops owned by the kufi-people.. you can never be too safe, you know. Then last month, we began receiving tasks, like wake up at 3:20am and watch the national parade. Or this task to go to the roof at 6:46pm, stand right on the edge, and salute. Post photos. It feels so great doing it, like we are all doing it together at that very moment, millions of us. Feels like I am a part of something bigger, you know. I receive badges for completing tasks, some users have a massive fan following. And now we get these alerts, like someone's profile gets tagged in red, someone whose score falls to the bottom, someone who isn’t completing tasks, isn’t participating like they should. Other users start making fun of them, abuse them, like really troll them and if enough people do it - this is the new feature - the app ‘exposes’ the traitors! It reveals everything about them - their house address, profession, phone number, everything! Have you downloaded the app yet? What happened, why do you look horrified?”
“These people you say who are getting ‘exposed’?”
“Yes”
“They killed one of them”
“What?”
“Yes, they killed him. His body was found outside his house. They dragged him out, they killed him.”
“Is it in the news?”
“No, its on the app. The video clips, so many of them. They have a new menu option for these videos now - 2mins Hate.”
“Oh.. I can’t believe it.”
“Yes”
“Have they sent a new task yet?”
((A scene from a play written & performed in 2022)
