Victor Oakes: "You’ve been pretty quiet lately. What are you up to?"
Elias Verum: (pauses) "I've been digging. You know how I said these corporations are manipulating people on a whole different level? I wasn’t guessing. I’ve seen it firsthand."
Victor: "Seen it? What, you got some inside scoop from one of your Splinterlands forums?"
Elias: "No. I hacked into their systems. And what I found… it’s worse than I thought. We’re not just talking about advertising algorithms or consumer profiling. These companies have entire behavioral markets. They’re trading your data—our data—in ways we can’t even begin to see."
Victor: "Wait—hacked? Are you serious? That’s a pretty bold claim, Elias."
Elias: "Call me Tenderfall, Victor. That’s the name I go by when I’m not Elias. I’ve been inside the databases of these tech giants, and I’m telling you—they’ve taken manipulation to a whole new level. Forget ads. They’re using data to control behavior. Subtle nudges, direct influence… They know what you’ll do before you even think it."
Victor: "Tenderfall? Are you kidding me? You’re saying you hacked into… what, Facebook, Twitter, all those companies? Come on, man. That’s a little much, even for you."
Elias: "It sounds crazy, I know. But I’m not talking about the surface-level data we already know they’re collecting. It’s the secondary markets. Companies are paying to buy specific behaviors, not just your attention. It’s way beyond advertising. They’re setting up situations where people are being sold—like, directly influenced to act in ways that profit these corporations. Voting patterns, buying habits, even lifestyle changes."
Victor: "Okay, even if what you’re saying is true—and I’m not saying I believe you—why isn’t anyone doing anything about it? There’d be some massive backlash if that kind of manipulation was so blatant."
Elias: "That’s the thing—it’s not blatant. It’s invisible. It feels like your own choice. And by the time people figure it out, it’s too late. The system is so entrenched, they’ve perfected how to nudge you just enough to believe you’re in control. It’s psychological warfare, and they’ve turned it into an industry."
Victor: "You’ve been watching too many dystopian movies, Elias. Sure, companies track data, but they’re not controlling people like that. People still have free will."
Elias: "Free will? Maybe on the surface. But deep down, their algorithms know more about you than you know about yourself. Every time you scroll, click, pause on a video—they’re building a profile. And they’re selling that to whoever’s willing to pay the most. What they’re doing now is more direct than any ad campaign could ever be."
Victor: "But manipulation has always been part of advertising. What’s so different now?"
Elias: "What’s different is that it’s no longer about showing you products or ideas and hoping you buy into them. It’s about getting inside your head, knowing exactly how to push you into doing what they want. They’re bypassing your rational mind, working directly on your impulses. You’re not a consumer anymore, Victor. You’re a product."
Victor: "So, what’s your solution? Splinterlands? You think people are going to abandon the system and switch to a blockchain game because they’re tired of being manipulated?"
Elias Verum: (laughs) "Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous. ‘The answer to surveillance capitalism is a card game!’ But hear me out. It’s not just a game. Sure, it seems like a small thing, but it’s a proof of concept. Splinterlands shows that decentralized, community-driven platforms can work. It’s a model that puts power back in the hands of the users. People aren’t just playing—they’re owning assets, making decisions, and participating in a transparent economy. It's a baby step, sure, but it's a step in the right direction."
Victor: "I don’t know, man. A card game feels a little lightweight for what you’re describing."
Elias: "I get that. But it’s not about Splinterlands solving everything. It’s about showing what’s possible. You’ve got to start somewhere, right? And if people can own digital assets in a game and control how they’re used, it’s not that big of a leap to imagine them wanting the same level of control over their data, their choices, and their digital lives elsewhere. It’s a small crack in the wall of the system, but enough cracks, and the whole thing comes down."
Victor: "And you really think people will care enough to switch when they don’t even know they’re being manipulated?"
Elias: "Not yet. But when it all comes crashing down, when people realize how deep this goes, they’ll look for something else. The trick is being ready for that moment. That’s why I’m telling you this, Victor. The system isn’t going to fix itself. We need to start preparing now."
As Victor chuckled at the absurdity of Elias’s argument, Elias felt a familiar tension in his chest. He kept his smile, but behind it, his mind was racing.
Should I tell him? Elias thought, staring at Victor across the table. Does he even realize how deep this goes?
Victor was a smart guy, sure, but he was still living in that bubble—still thinking that people would choose the system they knew, even if it was broken. He doesn’t get it yet. Elias leaned back, keeping the casual demeanor. But in his head, the stakes were rising.
Victor didn’t know the half of it. Tenderfall had unearthed something far more insidious than just some shady data deals. The web of manipulation, the behavioral markets—they were bigger than even he expected. Companies weren’t just nudging people to buy a product or vote a certain way; they were engineering entire realities for people. Entire identities, behaviors, motivations—bought and sold like they were nothing.
He could blow the whole thing wide open if he wanted. Elias felt the weight of the data files he still had tucked away, encrypted, waiting. One click, and the world would see what I’ve seen. They wouldn’t be able to ignore it anymore. The revelation would ignite outrage, distrust… and maybe, just maybe, the spark of a revolution.
But was it the right time?
Victor’s laugh faded, and Elias noticed his friend’s eyes scanning him with mild curiosity. Does he suspect? Victor always knew when something was churning in Elias’s head, but not this. He had no idea what Elias had found. No one did. Not yet.
Making his findings public would put a fire to the revolution Elias had been talking about, but it wouldn’t just burn the system—it might burn him, too. He wasn’t naïve. The companies he’d hacked weren’t playing by the same rules. They had the kind of power that could make someone like him disappear. They wouldn’t take kindly to a whistleblower, especially not one with as much dirt as Elias had on them.
But what’s the alternative? Keep waiting while these companies tightened their grip? Watch while people continued to live inside the illusion, thinking they were making their own choices?
Splinterlands wasn’t the solution to everything, sure, but it was a start. It was a place where people could see what a decentralized world might look like. Where they had control, even if it was just over a few digital assets in a game. It was a glimpse of what could be if people only woke up.
But would they? Or would they need more?
Elias shifted in his seat, his mind darting back and forth. What if I push this out there? If he exposed the behavioral markets to the public, he’d force people to look, to question. They wouldn’t be able to pretend anymore. He could almost see the headlines: “Leaked: Corporations Selling Human Behavior for Profit.” It would cause outrage. It would shake the foundations of trust, at least for a while.
But how far could this go? It wouldn’t just be headlines. Governments would get involved. These corporations had deep pockets and deeper connections. There would be blowback, investigations, trials, and scapegoats. And Elias? He wasn’t sure he was ready for that kind of heat. He wasn’t sure if anyone was.
“Earth to Elias,” Victor said, smirking.
Elias snapped out of it. "Yeah, sorry. Just thinking."
"Thinking? You? Never." Victor grinned, but his tone was genuine.
Elias smiled back, but inside, the debate raged on. Should he tell Victor? Should he take the leap and make this public? One wrong move, and the revolution could crumble before it even started. But maybe—just maybe—if he played it right, this could be the beginning of the end for the system that had manipulated everyone for so long.
For now, though, Elias decided to keep it close to the chest. He wasn’t ready to pull the trigger just yet. But soon.
"Just wait," he muttered under his breath, loud enough that Victor raised an eyebrow. "Things are about to get interesting."