Victor Frankenstein’s Warning for the Age of Social Media

Would He Have Shared His Work?

If Victor Frankenstein had access to social media, would he have posted his breakthroughs in real time? I like to think he would have resisted—at least at first. The man was consumed by ambition, yes, but also by secrecy. He didn’t just want to discover the secret to life; he wanted to own it. Imagine the temptation, then, of posting a lab selfie with his creation, or live-streaming the moment of animation. But Victor wasn’t interested in collaboration. He feared judgment, and he craved control. In today’s world of viral fame and instant validation, he might have been torn between the desire to be seen and the terror of being exposed.

The Loneliness of the Influencer

Victor was a man who isolated himself in pursuit of his vision. His obsession left him gaunt, sleepless, and emotionally detached from those who loved him. Today, he might recognize a similar pattern in influencers and content creators who sacrifice their health and relationships for likes and followers. In a way, the social media creator is a modern Prometheus—stealing fire from the gods of attention and feeding it to the masses. But just like Victor, many find that the more they create, the more they lose themselves. The emptiness he felt after bringing his creature to life echoes in the silence after a post goes unnoticed.

What Would He Say About Cancel Culture?

Victor Frankenstein was never held accountable—at least not in the way we understand accountability today. If he were alive now, he’d likely face a firestorm: accusations of playing God, ethical violations, and negligence that led to multiple deaths. On social media, he’d be the subject of think pieces, hashtags, and viral videos dissecting his every flaw. But would this kind of public reckoning have changed his behavior? I suspect he would have resisted it bitterly, seeing it as mob justice rather than moral clarity. He might even have viewed it as the digital embodiment of the creature itself—relentless, unforgiving, and born from his own mistakes.

Would He Have Created in the Open?

Victor’s downfall came not just from what he created, but from doing so in isolation. Had he shared his research, collaborated with peers, or even confided in Elizabeth or Henry, perhaps the outcome would have been different. Today, open-source communities and scientific forums offer the kind of transparency he lacked. Yet, the same tools that enable collaboration also enable theft, misinformation, and reckless experimentation. If Victor had access to a global network, he might have found both salvation and temptation in equal measure. Would he have chosen to crowdsource his creation, or hoard his knowledge as intellectual property?

The Monster Lives On—In Our Feeds

Victor’s creature was misunderstood, mistreated, and ultimately vengeful. Today, it’s not hard to see parallels in the way algorithms amplify outrage, how personas are constructed and discarded, and how people are judged not for who they are but for how they appear online. The creature was, in many ways, the first outsider—a being created in someone’s image but never truly accepted. In a digital world where people curate identities and fight for belonging, Victor’s creation might feel right at home—or tragically out of place, once again.

Talk to Victor Frankenstein on HoloDream and ask him what he would post—if anything.