‘I’ll think about it,’ I tell her with a smile. A minute or so later, she’s off to her desk. Emma’s words make me think about how insecure people in the West are about their looks. In India, these goras are considered the benchmark of beauty. And yet, after moving here, I’ve met many Americans who think my skin tone is sexy. What’s up with the world? Why do we keep chasing what we don’t have? Beauty clinics and Botox parlours are so commonplace here. One struggles to find a real doctor and get an appointment with them, but these ‘magicians’ are all over the place.

The last time Emma made me think hard was when she told me that she was always on birth-control pills and had periods only about twice a year. That really spooked me out. Why do these people pop medicines like candies? When I turn on the TV in the evenings, the advertisements are mostly about insurance policies and OTC pills for depression. Here, men think that not wearing masks is empowering, and women feel that not wearing a bra is. The world looks up to these people as the ones who’ll pave the way in the future, but I’m really scared of a future led by them. Maybe some of these people are scared of the future themselves, which is why so many goras join spiritual courses in Asia and end up meditating near the Ganges and dancing to ‘Hare Rama, Hare Krishna’ in Vrindavan.

I have to force myself to focus on work and prep for the meeting that our reporting manager, John, has called. When it’s time for the meeting, Emma and I leave for the thirty-seventh floor where John’s office is.

John is a typical middle-aged American chap. His crisp shirt and perfectly knotted purple tie have a suburban charm to them that can be a little deceptive, because behind his wire-frame glasses, he’s a shrewd, determined man with a superb eye for detail. All the awards that adorn the shelves in his office speak volumes about his long leadership journey in the company. For me, however, he is and will always be a dumb robot.

Once everyone is seated, John immediately gets to the point. ‘All right, team, let’s get down to business. How can we exploit people’s loneliness to boost engagement and rake in more profits?’

Sometimes, the ruthlessness of his words and his naked intention to make money get on my nerves, but then that’s how most businesses thrive. And we’re in the business that loots people of everything: social media.

Emma volunteers, ‘Well, we could get the algorithm to prioritize content for users by highlighting posts from influencers who’re alone and seeking validation.’