If you feel like you’ve been living in a dystopian cyberpunk story these past few years, you’re definitely not alone. There are silver linings to be found in life, sure… but overall, it seems like the world’s stuck in a perpetual crisis. And stability seems even more of an illusion than usual. It’s hard to know what to do when every week brings something unexpected.
What feels like it should belong in books, movies, and video games is, unfortunately, real life. To show you what this looks like, Bored Panda has curated this list of images that show just how dystopian things have gotten in the 21st century. Keep scrolling to lose some of that remaining faith in humanity that you’re protecting so hard.
#1 Wow
Image source: Krallorddark
#2 Good Article. No Surprises. “It’s Not About Wanting A Pay Raise Or Extra Income, It’s Just About Wanting A Livable Wage.”
Image source: twentysixdoubleO
#3 Shout Out The Worst Place I Ever Worked (Minimum Wage, Of Course)
Image source: reddit.com
#4 School Bus Advertisement For Body Armor
Image source: reddit.com
#5 Smiling Through The Dystopian Nightmare
Image source: CrimsonGrimm
#6 Whoever Made This Billboard Can Shove It
Image source: zuzuofthewolves
#7 It Went So Far It Doesn’t Seem Real Anymore… But It Is
Image source: reddit.com
#8 This Dystopia Is Boring, I’m Plugging In
Image source: buzzwrong
#9 Ad Is More Important Than Daylight
Image source: LunarLuxa
#10 Ah Yeah Heaven
Image source: giz-a-kiss
#11 AI Company’s ‘Stop Hiring Humans’ Ads All Over Sf
Image source: MetaKnowing
#12 This Billboard Like 100 Ft Off My College Campus
Image source: Aarwolf
#13 My University Is Replacing The Graduation Announcer With An AI Announcer
Image source: fruitytonic
#14 Ads Playing On Repeat Inside My School
Image source: AragamiDF
#15 Self-Driving Waymo Involved In Crash In Chandler
Image source: ABC15 Arizona
#16 Capitalism Reinventing Itself – Or So They Say
Image source: westgot
#17 Welcome To Your Dystopian Future!
Image source: cocainehussein
#18 We Live In A Dystopia
Image source: JPHilllllll
#19 Having To Scan A QR Code In Case Of Emergency
Image source: mymantheguy
#20 Had My First AI Drive Through Experience
Image source: lonelywhalien52
#21 This Restaurant’s Bathroom Faucet Has A Display For Ads
Image source: alezam7
#22 A Letter To Humans Of The Future On The Site Of Iceland’s First Dead Glacier
Image source: Lord_Balconyham
#23 My Fortune Cookie Had A Qr Code Ad Inside
Image source: CAD8033
#24 What A Time To Be Alive
Image source: 1195Goldust
#25 Seen In Brooklyn. This Isn’t Clever, Doordash. Just Sad
Image source: elliemcgregor
#26 Stop This Dystopian Acceptance
Image source: Dragonwick
#27 Reality Is Often Disappointing
Image source: cunnyslam
#28 This Packet Of Microwave Noodles Has AI Generated Packaging
Image source: Sjknight413
#29 Poverty Wages Now Outsourced
Image source: Lavidius
#30 Don’t Solve The Problem, Just Spend Tons Of Money To Ignore It
Image source: reddit.com
#31 USA Auctioning Humanitarian Daily Rations In Hawaii
Image source: Bigbadmayo
#32 My Company Made $1 Billion In Revenue And We Get Cupcakes To Celebrate
During my annual performance meeting, I thankfully received a 4% raise, but I am still paid $18k under the poverty line for my city. But at least I get free cupcakes next week!
Image source: ZealousSilver
#33 How Is Underpaid Child Labor Legal?
Image source: LilPeep1k
#34 This Made Me Mutter To Myself
Image source: reddit.com
#35 This Is The Most Depressing Thing I’ve Seen In A While
Image source: egoraptor
#36 This Year, Give Your Special Someone The Gift Of Accessing The American Healthcare System
Image source: RumHam2010
#37 This Is Veterans Row. A 3 Block Homeless Camp In West L.A. Where Homeless Veterans Live In
Image source: reddit.com
#38 We Are Truly Living In A Dystopian Time Period
Image source: Phil_Lewis_
#39 Upvote If You Would Never Donate Money To Kylie Jenner
Image source: reddit.com
#40 They’ve Started Using AI Models For Hair Dye Boxes??
Image source: ratteaf
#41 NBC Is Turning Water Into Thousands Of Pounds Of Real Snow For Their ‘Once In A Lifetime’ Superbowl Coverage… In Southern California.. During A Drought
Image source: WittsandGrit
#42 When Your Boss Is A Robot
Image source: reddit.com
#43 This “Funny” Movie Ad Casually Recognizing How Many People Are Suffering On Their Way To Work. It Was Plastered On Every Bus In The City For About A Month
Image source: IAlbatross
#44 This Store Announces They Collect Your Biometric Data
Image source: wood_nich
#45 This Display Is How I Learned That Missouri Banned An Introductory Book About Oil Painting
Image source: UndyingCorn
#46 My City Rolled Out A Yearly EMS Subscription
Image source: superzuludawn
#47 My Text Book For School Came In With A Boxed Red Bull
Image source: themustymaggotmarket
#48 Over 2,000 Pounds Of Fresh Pork Being Rejected By The Walmart Distribution Center Because The Sell By Dates Occur When Their Stores Are Closed For Thanksgiving
This product will still be safe to eat for the next 15 days, but they won’t even attempt to sell. This will end up in a dumpster today.
Image source: OTTER__VOMIT
#49 Large Company Filled With Over Worked And Underpaid Employees Decided To Do A Squid Games Themed Team Building Day In An Apparent Lack Of Self-Awareness
No one seemed to notice the irony… That the contestants are victims of a dystopian capitalist society and are out for themselves, not the team…
Image source: Witty_G_22
#50 The Dystopian Future Where Daycare And Parental Leave Are Replaced With Babies At Your Workplace
Image source: BLAZINGSORCERER199
#51 An Actual Poster At My Work. Dystopian Vibes, Anyone?
Image source: kathryn12345
#52 AI Burgers On Uber Eats. Upsetting
Image source: Subdued_851
#53 And They Didn’t Post A Salary Either
Image source: purpleushi
#54 When You Live In America And Go To The Hospital For Food Poisoning
Image source: Togapen_Digital
#55 Buy Now, Pay Later At The Local Grocery Butcher
Image source: FridaMercury
#56 School Put Gates To Lock Bathrooms Between And During Classes
Image source: Imapunchthismofo
#57 This Antenna That Looks Like A Tree
Image source: Kattsu-Don
#58 MTA Installs Turnstile Spikes To Combat Fare Evasion
Image source: thenewyorkgod
#59 The Dystopian Future We’ve All Been Asking For Is Here! Unbelievable!
Image source: Curiouscrispy
#60 Free Enterprise Strikes Again
Image source: cszabla
#61 Self-Driving Tesla Accident With Promobot Robot By The Witness
Image source: Promobot Russia
#62 This Dystopian Street Sign In NYC Requests Cash For Diabetic Supplies
Image source: arb7721
#63 Dystopian Storage Container Walls Around People’s Park In Berkeley Ca To Keep Homeless Out
Image source: Psyzak1313
#64 My Local Drugstore Locks The Beef Jerky In Anti-Theft Boxes
Image source: Grawgar
#65 Outshine The Owner, Earn $15/Hr
Image source: theleopardmessiah
#66 Taco Bell Instructing Its Employees What They Can And Cannot Say On The Workers’ Own Social Media
Image source: Harvickfan4Life
#67 I Hate It Here
Image source: return2ozma
#68 The Military Gets Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars A Year, Yet Soldiers Have To Beg Civilians For The Right To Call Their Families
Image source: butter-no-parsnips
#69 You Wanna See Some Really Dystopian Stuff?
Image source: bvttfvcker
#70 Forcing Workers To Come In During A Category 4 Hurricane
Image source: reddit.com
#71 What‘S Recommended On Facebook Nowadays…
Image source: Broadcastthatboom
#72 Fashion
Image source: reddit.com
#73 If You Spend More Than 30 Minutes In This Restaurant, You Are No Longer A Customer- You’re Just Loitering
Image source: Jenn1110
#74 The Envelope My Tax Return Came With This On It
Image source: boho_bear
#75 My Pizza Came With Trump Ads On Napkins
Image source: untruecivility30
#76 I Think The Fact That Texas Roadhouse Employees Are Forced To Wear This To Work Is Very Dystopian
Image source: reddit.com
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