Dystopian Vending Machine Orders People to Bow Down, Praise It as 'The Almighty One' in Exchange for Snacks
To promote its Delites-brand rice chips, Australian snack manufacturer Fantastic set up an interactive vending machine called the "Delite-o-matic" that aims to answer the question "How far will people go for the taste of Fantastic Delites?"
The experiment starts out innocuously enough by asking passers-by to press a shiny red button a certain number of times in order to obtain a free pack of crisps. The number of clicks necessary to receive a freebie increases until it reaches 5000 times.
Then things take a turn for the Milgram.
A woman approaches the machine and is asked to "kneel down on the ground." She obeys without question. Next, the Delite-o-matic asks her to "raise your arms above your head." She complies with that request as well. Finally, the willing participant is ordered to "bow to the almighty one," and a single glowing chip appears on the screen. The woman follows through, praising the snack at the mere promise of a free sample.
Others follow suit, and, soon enough, 1984.
"Did they go far enough?" the ad ultimately inquires before displaying an ominous forewarning: "To be continued..."
