Escape From Pleasure Planet -20... -

The difference is choice . On Pleasure Planet, you do not choose when to stop. The algorithm chooses for you. Off the planet, you touch the screen and put it down. You eat the cookie and feel satisfied. You watch one episode and go to bed.

The "minus twenty" indicates you are running late. The engines are smoking. The last shuttle leaves at midnight tonight.

You aren't escaping to a better life. You are escaping from the inability to enjoy a normal one. Every escape from Pleasure Planet begins with a crash. Escape From Pleasure Planet -20...

This isn't a review of a film. This is a survival guide. In science fiction, the "Pleasure Planet" is a trope. It’s the glowing casino world in Total Recall , the hedonistic ring-worlds in The Culture series, or the dopamine-drip pods in Wall-E . The hero crashes there, gets offered a drink, a beautiful companion, and a warm bed. For ten minutes of screen time, the hero enjoys it. Then, they realize the pleasure is the trap. The food is a sedative. The lovers are wardens. The planet is a battery farm for human dopamine.

On Pleasure Planet, we reversed the equation. Now, you get dopamine for zero effort . Swipe up: dopamine. Click a thumbnail: dopamine. Receive a notification: dopamine. The difference is choice

Your "exit crash" will feel the same.

In the summer of 2023, I deleted Instagram, stopped ordering takeout, and slept on a hardwood floor for three weeks. My friends thought I had joined a cult. In reality, I was conducting a desperate experiment. I call it my Off the planet, you touch the screen and put it down

By Jordan Reeves