Technology In The Novel Feed By M. T. Anderson

Technology has played an influential role in the growing society of today. It has been the technological mother-nature to the brain, as people seek guidance from its false intelligence. In the novel Feed, written by M.T. Anderson, the main focus is on the effect that technology has on a society as a whole. With technology, such as the feed, it can be beneficial when used correctly. It can help a person come up with just the “right” words when they’re stuck on a paper, or even when they are having a conversation with another individual. Technology is a good resource in most cases; however, it is not truly a benefit when overused. It turns into an addiction, and people begin to rely on it too much. Technology that is similar to the feed should be removed, because

Feed by M.T. Anderson, portrays the actuality of what consumerism of technology, specifically The Feed can do to someone, their family, and their friends. Throughout the novel, Violet had been bothered by The Feed and how controlling it can be over other people’s lives. Titus was consumed by, and very reliable on the Feed, which was something Violet had resented. Furthermore, the feed affects Titus and Violet’s relationship because since Violet was brought up differently, and didn’t get her feed at birth, she experienced more and had different beliefs. Lastly, Quendy followed unfavorable trends of the feed, such as lesions, and these weren’t attractive to others.

Technology has always been seen as a good thing because it makes life a little easier and can get things done quicker. However as the years goes by technology is advancing quicker and quicker and as it advances people start to become more and more dependent on it. In Anderson’s novel the Feed he tells the story of a failing futuristic society were everyone is dependent on feeds that are implanted into their brains at a very young age. These predictions that Anderson males in the book are valid because of how similar this futuristic world is to our own world today.

How has technology affected mankind over time? How has it affected the youth of our country? How has it affected the adults? We rely on the internet for almost everything, do we still have the power to detach ourselves from it? The article, “The Virtues of Reality” written by Ross Douthat caught my attention with a thesis that is quite realistic. Douthat theorizes that the main cause of both the youth becoming safer over time along with the adults growing more immature is the virtual reality that the internet provides us with. Douthat then leaves the readers with a thought to ponder about. He questions if we as human beings have become so reliant on technology, that we can’t take a step back. What I wish to know is why should we need to take a step back when the world that we live in has infused technology along with the internet into everything that we do in life?

Technology, the advancement of knowledge and productivity through the application of tools, information, and techniques to create an effortless process, has ultimately lead to the declination of our society and our future. In “A Thing Like Me,” Nicholas Carr addresses the development of technology from the day it was created and how it initiated an immediate impact within the lives of humans leading to an unhealthy dependency. Carr establishes how technology, what was intended to be a tool, has become the “pacifier” of our generation. This “pacifier” causes a loss of freedom, not through the laws of the government, but rather with the values of freedom one holds within themselves. This freedom is the individuality that distinguishes each person from the next, and forms a desire for the development of oneself through the experiences of life and the wisdom that is acquired along the way. Technology has blinded man from this pursuit of self-enhancement and with the advancement of technology occurring daily, there is no resolution. Each day people are confined within themselves and the pieces of technology that will continually limit them in their lives. Freedom is more than just a concept of laws instilled by the government, it is the thought process found within each individual person and their “hunger” to become more. With technology, social media was created and immediately immersed within our lives. The society of today has

In the novel ‘Feed’, M.T Anderson proposed a human can have a small chip placed in the head, that feeds them the best deals, and latest trends, as well as providing all the functions laptops and cell phones used today could provide, and in having this chip implanted in their heads, it encourages buying the best bargains and purchasing the latest products, and keeping up with the trends that are changing daily. Throughout the Novel, Anderson plays with the idea technology as negative effects on society. He shows a society where people’s ability to think is decreasing, as is their emotional capacity, where corporations run the system and have let the environment suffer because of it. He shows a society where advertising and consumerism are driving the human race, and reducing people’s humanity.

In today’s world, many people believe that technology’s sole purpose is to draw young people away from the real world and reality. Just because you do not realize it, it does not mean it is not happening. If you think back to when you were younger, was technology the same as today? However, technology is forever changing and improving. It affects everyone, not just the young group of people. Technology changes our brains, souls, and our very being. Once technology sucks you into the whole of its essence, you will have a hard time changing your life style.

In Anderson’s Feed, most of the American population is joined to the internet with chips implanted into their brains. This might not be the first science fiction novel to explore the idea that the internet is in our brains, but it does so with an awareness of how that might affect our planet and our biological being in a very visceral, fleshy way. The feed is destroying the planet and interrupts common, basic biological functions. Not only are humans themselves decaying and humanity ceasing to exist, but even the planet has become so polluted that it cannot sustain or support it natural cycles or maintain many populations of wildlife.

Many times our fears of what is unknown to us are often the strongest fears we hold as human beings. However, what if it was the fear of things we already know that were the most powerful and influential in our lives? In modern society, many hold within themselves a deep-seated fear of the technology that the world has become so revolved around. Additionally, it has recently become debatable whether or not this technology has become a hindrance to members of the so-called iGeneration, born between 1995 and 2012, who have grown up in a world surrounded by technology. Truly, the members of older generations, including millennials who have had themselves split off from the apparent technology obsessed generation of the youngest millennials, have expressed their concern as to whether or not these vast differences in generations have to do with the unhealthy use of technology. Among those to have analyzed this phenomenon is writer Jean M. Twenge who in her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?,” utilizes the study of a modern 13 year old girl named Athena to exemplify a plethora of determinants that technology has imposed on young people and the slow deterioration of everything from independence and social skills to a decline mental health due to technology use. Many of Twenge’s statements reveal the belief that many members of iGen are unequipped to handle adulthood and are even less happy because of the technology that has played a significant role in their lives

In the novel Feed written by M.T. Anderson, the futuristic world the novel is set in a continually evolving and the characters are overcoming challenges in the technological society. This book focuses on the deteriorating world due to technological advances. The most important technological advancement is the “feed” that the corporations in the future will create. The “feed” contributes to how people participate in everyday activities. Only people who can afford one are able to have a “feed” implant. It is a parallel to today’s modern use of technology and cellular devices. Titus, the protagonist, is a teenager that comes from a wealthy family and is he grows up extremely privileged. He and his friends go to the moon for spring break.

“In the last 50 years, up to 100,000 Americans lost their lives due to inactivity leading to some sort of conditional disease such as heart disease [including the laziness within people of society]” (Wise 12). So many people have died from becoming lazy, doing nothing but go on their phones, devices, rather than doing everyday things. Technology has changed the way society approaches life, always depending on it rather than themselves and others. The society today consists of nothing but TV screens, telephone, smartphones, iPads, and items the 19th century would consider a dream to lay hands on. A book written by Bradbury presents lack of effort people put into their lives and society; Bradbury predicts how the future will become later on in the society. Becoming more similar to the laziness and ignorance in the novel, Fahrenheit 451, the society today struggles the society today struggles with dependency on technology which results to lack of social interactions with one another and failure in becoming literate with books.

In the futuristic world M.T Anderson creates in Feed, the misuse of technology is a problem the world faces. The novel Feed describes how the world could be in the future if humans let technology rule their lives. Anderson wants the reader to realize the effect technology has on our lives, and he also wants us to understand how we are being controlled and manipulated by media. Therefore, Anderson, fearing that one day technology will surpass humanity by creating a society of idiots like in the novel Feed, warns the reader from the future our society might face if we don’t make a change soon.

Zbigniew Brzezinski once said “no matter how deeply disturbing the thought of using environment to manipulate behavior for national advantages to some, the technology permitting such use will very probably develop within the next few decades” Throughout the years, humans have seen a significant amount of technology advancements and its implication for human beings and the environment. M.T. Anderson’s novel “Feed” gives readers a representation of ing aa future dystopian world, one in which technology is not just around us but implanted inside our heads. Anderson draws parallels between our society and that of the feed which creates an ominous warning for our own society. The environment turns into a disaster due to how rapidly technology is advancing.

This generation has obtained a tremendous amount of accessible information through technology. Technology has progressed during this generation which has corrupted the minds of teens everywhere.

Technology has more negative effects on today’s society than positive. Due to technology in the past few decades Canine Shock Collars have been increasingly popular. Students in school pay more attention to texting than they do their classes. Violent addictive video games have made their way into American homes. Parents encourage their children to not text as much, but them to face the problem of constant communication. The Internet gives the students easier ways to cheat in school, and reinforces laziness. Internet Porn gives every bored male a chance to look at the seediest film in the comfort of his own home. Technology has taken the innocence and mystery away from the American family.