The Recommendation
Sometimes the biggest influence on our choices is the one we never notice.
Northbridge — Spring 2029
Possible Futures is a series of speculative fiction.
The characters, organisations and events in this story are fictional. While the stories are inspired by trends and questions emerging in today’s world, they are not predictions of what will happen.
Instead, they explore one simple question:
What might everyday life look like if today’s trends continued just a little further?
The purpose is not to persuade or provide answers, but to encourage reflection, conversation and curiosity. The future has not been written.
Daniel decided to avoid the café that morning.
Instead, he wandered into Harper’s Books, an independent bookshop tucked between a florist and a watch repair shop on Market Street.
It was one of those places where every shelf seemed to hold an unexpected discovery.
The owner, Helen, looked up from arranging a display.
“Morning, Daniel.”
“I thought I’d see what was new.”
Helen smiled.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing.”
He laughed.
“I meant books.”
“So did I.”
She gestured towards a table near the window.
“We’ve had three customers this week asking for the same title.”
“What title?”
“That’s the strange part.”
She paused.
“They couldn’t remember.”
Daniel frowned.
“They came in asking for a book they’d seen recommended online.”
“Nothing unusual about that.”
“No.”
She looked thoughtfully towards the shelves.
“But every one of them described the same cover differently.”
Daniel picked up a newly published novel.
“So they remembered the recommendation...”
“...but not the book.”
Helen nodded.
“And when I searched for it later, I couldn’t find anything that matched.”
Before Daniel could reply, a young woman approached the counter.
“Excuse me,” she said. “I’m looking for a book about... I can’t remember exactly.”
Helen smiled gently.
“Can you remember the author?”
“No.”
“The title?”
She shook her head.
“I only remember that everyone seemed to be talking about it.”
After a few minutes, the woman apologised and left empty-handed.
Daniel watched through the shop window as she disappeared into the market square.
“Does that happen often?” he asked.
Helen sighed.
“More than it used to.”
She walked towards a shelf labelled Local Authors.
“People still ask for books they choose themselves.”
She rested her hand on one of the shelves.
“But more and more arrive looking for something they’ve been shown.”
Daniel looked around the shop.
Hundreds of books.
Thousands of ideas.
Yet somehow many people were searching for the same handful.
“Do you think recommendations are becoming too influential?” he asked.
Helen smiled.
“I think recommendations have always influenced us.”
She paused before adding quietly,
“I’m just not sure who is doing the recommending anymore.”
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Outside, the afternoon shoppers drifted through Market Street.
A bus pulled away from the stop.
Someone laughed outside the bakery.
Northbridge carried on exactly as it always had.
As Daniel stepped back onto the pavement, his phone vibrated.
A notification appeared.
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He looked at the screen for a moment before placing the phone back in his pocket without opening it.
For the first time in years, he wondered how many of his choices had really been his own...
...and how many had quietly been suggested.
Reader Reflection
How often do you choose something because you were looking for it...
...and how often because it was recommended to you?
Join the Conversation
Which part of this story felt the most believable?
Or did it leave you with another question?
I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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Until next time...
What if?