Over the years, our relationship with technology has changed greatly, particularly in the social media space. Frustrating as it is fun, it has evolved from another form of self-expression and a way to connect with others into a vital part of our everyday lives and how we establish identity in both the digital and the real world. Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs series has been there every step of the way, highlighting how social platforms have helped us both keep tabs on movie news and learn about the latest government scandal. It also shines a mirror on how social media has become a superpower unto itself, and how one chooses to wield it.
The original Watch Dogs protagonist, Aiden Pearce, a man with paranoia to spare, used others’ obsessions with social media for his own gain. Aiden had a Profiler on his phone that let him glean information off anyone nearby, which he wasn’t conflicted about using. You could tell he viewed the tech-enhanced Chicago and its citizens with contempt. People who think of social media as a waste of time (why would someone broadcast every thought they had on the internet?) all have an air of arrogance about them, and Aiden was no exception. From the start, his social interactions were strained at best and downright hostile at worst—because he didn’t want to connect with anyone and only viewed people in terms of data.
Source: IGN.com How Social Media Has Shaped The Watch Dogs Series