[ WP ] Reddit upvotes dictate social status in the future . People with negative karma tend to disappear within 48 hours if they do n't get it back up . You just woke up with -10,000 karma .

You were never a very popular person. An introvert they called you in the internet. You tried many times in the past to increase your karma, even before it was linked with social standing but it was futile. You thought your posts were funny and interesting but you could never quite manage to get those upvotes. Thank god you where already in the 7 year plus club when karma was linked with every day life, this gave you 20000 karma instantly and with your 2 upvotes per post you have created every day ever since karma became important, you are now in the 30000 zone. No need to worry about `` them''. That is what they were called, nobody knew how and what they really where, even if they actually existed. 
 
 Last night was no different. Your friend Jack called you to go to the carnival but you declined. 
 - They have joy rides with self driving cars on the race track, he said 
 - That is fine Jack but I think I am going to call it a night, you responded. 
 
 Of course, you were not going to bed, or to sleep to be more precise. You spent hours after hours in bed reading posts and comments. 
 - They are meaningless, you thought. This stuff is stupid. 
 
 But just before you where about to sleep, mechanically scrolling on your tablet's screen a post in /r/DIY caught your attention. Somebody replaced a power socket in his home. 
 - He must be a mad man you thought! 
 
 You hastily opened the post while your heart was beating faster making you full alert. The cabling was quite old. From the days where cables where color coded instead of having their serial numbers printed on them. 
 `` The cabling is old'' OP said. 
 `` If I call the robot electrician company they wont be able to replace just the socket since the cables are so old and do n't have a bar code on them. I will end up having to replace my whole cabling, not just the socket. This may not cost much but it will take about I day to finish, so I thought I could give it a try'', followed by the finished and before picture. 
 
 You immediately spotted the error! You used to be a certified safety inspector after all. Before, everything was switched to automation and people started living out of basic income of course. 
 - This is the time to shine, you thought. 
 You spent the next half hour writing a reply notifying OP about his error and how that could be fatal. This is also my cake day you ended your message with a smile on your face. Finally, something I am good at. Something that is meaning full. Those sweet upvotes are mine. 
 
 After that you placed your tablet on the night stand and went to sleep. 
 
 The next morning you woke up by the sound of your cell phone. It was Jack. You really were n't in the mood so you ignored the call and started browsing. Time to check on my new karma you where thinking unlocking your screen. I wonder if I will have more than 35000 karma you said trying to control your smile but you immediately lost any joy you had.... 
 
 You called Jack and told him: 
 - Jack, I'm in deep trouble. 
 - No shit, he replied. I told you 100 times to read the article `` 10 things not to post in reddit. Number 3 will shock you''. But you did n't listen. You never provide technical information in /r/DIY. You are going to get downvoted to oblivion. 
 - Jack, I do n't have time for this. I need to fix this. I will call you this afternoon. 
 
 Dear me, what am I going to do. 
 
 You started thinking for a plan. /r/aww was your best hope, it seemed fairly simple. Take cute pictures of cats and dogs and post them with relatively funny topics. This worked up to a point but it only offset about 1000 karma points. You were still well within the -8000 zone. In some posts you were even called out as a reposter making this even worse. But you carried on deep within the night while ignoring Jack's calls. It was almost morning again and suddenly you started realizing that this was n't going to happen. All this time you were in a state of denial, now you were petrified. You stopped posting and looked out the window. Maybe they are already watching me you thought. You spent the next two hours doing nothing while Jack's messages kept coming in. 
 `` Why have you stopped posting?'' 
 `` Are you still there?'' 
 `` Have they taken you?'' 
 `` The guys and I are collecting donations. We have 200 karma. Please, respond'' 
 
 Reading Jack's messages took you to the next stage. Acceptance. 
 Screw it you thought. If I'm going down, i'm going with a bang 
 You started frantically answering to your post replies. 
 
 `` I'm not wrong. You are just stupid. I used to be a certified inspector what knowledge do you have on the subject kiddo'' 
 
 `` Saying that because you have done it your self two or three times and nothing has happened to you shows how ignorant you are. You have absolutely no technical background'' 
 
 `` If you take a closer look to this link from archive.org you will see that green-yellow is the ground cable, not the phase'' 
 
 You were disgusted. You through your table to the wall breaking the plywood. You were to tired and to angry to care any more. You simply closed the lights and fell asleep. 
 
 Suddenly, you were awoken by a large bang. Before, you could even realize if it was all a dream somebody put a hood over head and tied your hands behind your back with plastic cuffs. 
 
 `` Where are you taking me'' you screamed. 
 `` Do n't worry Mr. Jonson, it will soon be over'' you heard a voice. 
 
 You remained silent. It was actually true. 
 
 After about an hour drive the car stopped. Quite abrupt actually. `` It must be one of those early self driving cars'' you thought. At this point you where left alone with your thoughts for such a long time you did n't care any more. You were simply thinking about how futile our live were after automation and basic income. Hell, you thought people go on `` joy rides'' with self driving cars. Just spinning around in a fully controlled environment. What's the point in that. In my days ferris wheels were for kids. I do n't know what adults find in all this. Then you memberred that time you were a safety inspector on a ferris wheel. You felt so responsible and made sure every thing was up to code. But now? Now what? I just sit around and collect basic income you thought. This live sucks. Let's get this over with you mumbled. 
 
 - What was that Mr. Johnson? You heard a voice while somebody removed the hood over your head. 
 - Let's get this over with. You said again, only this time loud and clear. 
 - I am sorry Mr. Johnson, I am just a soldier. You will have to wait for the Sargent to explain. 
 - Explain? Explain what? 
 - I am sorry you will have to wait for the Sargent 
 
 This was getting stranger by the minute. What was there to explain? And were did this soldier come from? Soldiers went out of style only two years after basic income was introduced. And the car you where just into did n't seem like it was self driving. It seamed like a classic. 
 
 Finally the Sargent arrived. 
 
 - Good evening Mr. Johnson. How are you. You are probably wandering why you are here. You see we have been monitoring you for a long time. Your inability to integrate with modern automated society is very intriguing. 
 - Why is it intriguing? 
 - Well as you know much of our world is now automated and people leave out of basic income. This is a result of the treaty signed by our former president Mr. Trump at the end of his second term. The treaty that ended the 3 moth war with China. 
 - Yes I am are of that. 
 - Well there are some implication and terms signed in that treaty that are not available to the public. 
 - Such as? 
 - Well you see I was both the Chinese stand and our president's that handing over complete control to machines my be a huge risk. A risk so big that it almost caused the treaty not be signed. 
 - Risk? 
 - Yes, well you see if you allow artificial intelligence to control design and fabrication of new machines we might reach a state that we call `` The skynet''. Are you aware of the term. 
 - Yes, I am a fan of the classics. But I thought the use of asimov's laws integrated in the design of the AI solved this problem. 
 - Ah, you see this is what we led the public to believe. In reality is is impossible to a integrate a law that predicts everything. So this option was quickly scraped. 
 - So? Are we in danger? 
 - No. The reality is that we simply need to separate the design for the manufacturing process. Same concept with the constitutional authorities. 
 - So we left the design to humans? 
 - Not quite. Humans where unable to design such complex machines. All AI designs where far more detailed and precise. But you see hand made machinery although slow to manufacture by skilled technicians are quite more accurate. Therefore, we leave the manufacturing process to humans. 
 - Humans? You mean there are laborers right this moment building machines? 
 - Precisely, this is one of the largest factory in the east coast with over 10000 workers. 
 - 10000 workers? Are you serious. I thought workers where just 10 or 20 remaining hobbyist. 
 - Not quite. You see we keep an eye on reddit. People, that can not gain karma are more likely to have difficulties integrating with our society and who would be more happy working in a factory instead of sitting home 
 - So why am I here again? 
 - Well as we see here in your file you have extensive technical background working as a safety inspector. Is that correct? 
 - Aha 
 - Well we are in desperate need of people of your trade, so there are many openings. The job is yours. If you like it off course. 
 
 A smile was drawn on your face. Suddenly you felt your life had a meaning again. 
 `` When do I start'' you answered.
