The novel that predicted Meerkat and Periscope in 2010
When Gary Shteyngart wrote about the äppärät, an iPhone-like device that could stream our thoughts and conversations, while monitoring our popularity in real time, the idea seemed like a cynical parody. The gizmo plays a central role in his 2010 novel Super Sad True Love Story, and on my first read I found out it distracting, cynical, and implausible. I never thought the iPhone would come so close to the äppärät, let alone do so within half a decade, but with Meerkat and Periscope, reality is taking its cues from fiction.
Here’s an excerpt from The Washington Post‘s review of the novel:
“In these pages BlackBerrys have evolved into something called an äppärät, an irresistible multipurpose device for shopping, scanning and…
Source:: The Verge
