Jan 11th, 2278
Richard was only seven years old when the debut of the first smartphones took place. As he grew into adolescence, it seemed every single one of his peers possessed this new-age gadget - all except him. His father, despite his habitual absence, was unyielding in his refusal to permit Richard a smartphone. Richard knew defiance would invite severe consequences, and given his father's sporadic appearances, betrayal was something his father could sense.
Intriguingly, his father's objections were far from baseless. His hesitations often stemmed from privileged inside information he possessed. At times, he cited an undercover report, suggesting teenage brain development could potentially be hampered by excessive smartphone usage. Moreover, his skepticism stretched towards the fringe benefits offered by these devices. His father forecasted the impending risk they posed, often mentioning the cloud - a futuristic data storage system that he firmly believed would spawn an unprecedented 'privacy nightmare.'
So, Richard chose restraint over rebellion.
Consequently, he became an observer rather than an active participant. Over time, he watched the captivation of these devices intensify amongst his peers. Even in group settings, their attention was invariably fragmented, their smartphones a silent yet potent competitor. They seemed oblivious to their immediate surroundings unless something exceptionally demanding sought their attention.
Upon reaching his 18th birthday, Richard procured a smartphone for himself. However, the crucial lessons he had learned from his observations strongly influenced his use of the device. He found himself resorting to its most rudimentary function - texting. The unspoken caution he had internalized during his impressionable youth deterred him from falling into the ensnaring trap that had captured countless of his contemporaries.
Now he looked at Orla, who was sitting across a table from him only because she knew he appreciated that. Her world did not include orientation to environment; she could speak to her friends face-to-face in her mind. Where they were was irrelevant.
Unlike his youth with smartphones, he couldn't tell if she was looking elsewhere. And Orla, like most colonists now, had always possessed this ability; it was second nature to her. She was capable of conversing with multiple friends on multiple topics simultaneously, regardless of their physical location. While doing so, she could use Janice to look up any subject that came up that she was unfamiliar with seamlessly in line with the conversation. An unwarranted feeling of jealousy bubbled within him, reigniting the harsh memories of isolation from his peers during his youth. He couldn't begin to understand where the emotion had come from or why he felt it.
Richard's communication with Janice through the Halo device was strictly one-way. He appreciated the fact that it did not grant Janice access to his innermost thoughts. However, he began to harbor hypocritical resentment towards Janice for her ability to communicate with others through their thoughts. Despite his appreciation for technology and AI, the idea of a single, all-knowing entity controlling all aspects of the colonists' lives began to weigh heavily on his mind. The thought that free will was an illusion, and that all choices and decisions were made under the watchful eye of a machine caused a nagging discomfort within him. He was unsure if it was the lack of control or the implication of a lack of privacy that was the source of his discontent.
Richard was well-endowed with a vivid imagination. He found himself able to cast himself in the guise of someone else and psychoanalyze their thought processes. With this ability, he had some broad understanding of what it must be like to exist in Orla's world, but he knew he would never truly know if he had it right. Similarly, Orla had a grasp of some of Richard's experiences, but she couldn't experience life through his perspective. She might not have seen the limitations Richard faced in a favorable light, given her own experiences.
Richard and Orla's seemingly disparate experiences and perspectives underscored an essential aspect of human existence. The expansiveness of individual identity stood out, and it was one that defied categorization. Even those who shared the same place and time existed within boundaries that denied identical experiences. There was a beauty to this fact that was inescapable, even amid the exhaustion caused by the exercise of trying to inhabit the experiences of another.
Despite their differing perspectives, Richard realized that he would miss Orla if she were to leave. She had become one of the few people he could tolerate and whom he felt connected to within the colony. If the question of entering a pod with Orla ever arose again, Richard was starting to lean towards it. The potential for a more profound, shared experience was an attractive notion, one that still had more perks than limitations.