Several men and women met in a conference room in a building a hundred floors up, like a tower overlooking the peasants below. Few knew what was transpiring in the magical tower and few cared. On the paved streets below, people shuffled about through their lives hoping to escape the monotony and claiming to have dreams but not seeking them in any way. Those souls were the subject of the meeting. They formed the mortar that built the foundation of the tower. 

With light streaming in from the many windows that overlooked the world below, one man dressed in a sharply lined blue suit with crisp white shirt and yellow tie stood at the end of the table and addressed the room. He had a common name, but he was known as master for he was in the business of enslaving. 

“Thank you all for coming,” Master began, voice calm but strong. “I wanted to congratulate everyone on the job well done this year. Our algorithms suggest that we have more influence and control than ever. I believe we are ready for the final stage. We are ready to wage war on our opponents to grow in market share and influence.” Master leaned over the table as he spoke the last words and grinned slightly like a general  in the war room who has what he believes is a winning strategy. 

“We began this years ago, as you all know,” Master began as he started to pace slightly recounting the past. “When we began we had no idea that we would be where we are today. At the time, all we wanted was to provide a product we felt people wanted. They demanded our phones and our technology greatly. Better and bigger and more useful all the time. 

“What we found was that our phones, our devices were like a bright light attracting gnats in the dark. They were drawn to them and could hardly pull themselves away as we continue to feed their desires and train their minds to hold our phones and make them an indispensable part of life. We captured their eyes. 

“Then we took it a step further. We created devices they could place directly in their ears. Music, podcasts, videos, and yes, even phone calls,” master had to pause as many in the room laughed at the inclusion of the phone conversations. “Now their ears belong to us as well. We stole two of their senses, or rather, they surrendered them to us willingly. But make no mistake,” master let the words hang in the air. “Their eyes and ears belong to us. We show them what we want and we tell them what we want. Just like the classic Japanese proverb of ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,’ controlling what a person sees and hears will directly influence what a person says. In other words, if we control sight and sound, we control thought. Their minds belong to us. They are exactly like the monkeys or apes typically use to illustrate that adage. They gave us their eyes. They gave us their ears. They gave us their minds. 

“And what are we going to do with them?” Master let the group wonder for a moment. “Well, we can do whatever we want. Obviously, first and foremost, we will continue to cultivate loyalty to our products and brand and dependence on our media to feed their mailable minds. We will keep them enslaved to us. 

“After that the sky is the limit. For the first time in human history, people have been enslaved without even knowing it. Their minds are not their own; they belong to us. That means we can shape their values and morals to suit our needs. We can promote or persecute causes and movements that benefit us. We can manipulate voting patterns and political support to affect entire governments and societies. We will generate billions in profits to feed our growing media monster who will dominate the world over, living above and beyond control of any law and by any leader. 

“We are the new deity. We are god. And our customers are our acolytes. They worship our products and they are enslaved to our will. Congratulations, everyone. We have more power than any mortals who lived before us and we will live the lives of demigods.

“We will now break into our focused groups to work on upcoming projects. I am excited about how we will use virtual reality to literally create new worlds in a digital reality. I’m looking forward to how we will continue to use our social media platform to shape social interactions and change the way in which people interact with one another. I’m especially excited about the creation of our own currency. How much more money can we make when we make our own money?” The question caused the room to erupt in laughter. In fact, it took a long minute for it to quiet down again. 

Finally, Master concluded, “With that we adjourn this meeting. Never forget the amount of power we possess and never stop seeking new ways to increase it.” Master sat down and the executives present began standing and leaving like warriors to the battlefield equipped with a plan sure to slaughter the enemy.