In the twenty first century, many societies have turned towards technology in order to function and enjoy everyday life. By turning towards different forms of technology people have lost the things that make them unique. The advancements in technology have removed the materialistic things from people’s lives that make them an individual and that give them an identity apart from others.
In the article Our Media, Ourselves: Are We Headed For A Matrix?, author Bob Mondello explores the issue at hand. As he states in the article: “humanity has abandoned all of what makes us human.” In past generations, the collection of materialistic items has allowed other people to see physical representations of who we were as individuals because “isn’t accumulated mess what defines us as individuals?” (Mondello). When arriving at someone’s household, it used to be possible to see shelves full of literature, music, movies and other entertainment methods that exemplified the person’s personality. Today’s generation compiles these large amounts of entertainment interests into technological devices such as the Kindle, the iPad and mp3 players.
It may be common thought that these advancements in technology actually allow people to deepen the definition of their identity. It may appear that the wide range of technological devices gives individuals more options in picking out different entertainment sources and choosing what their likes and dislikes will be. Although it is true that technology opens up many new doors for people regarding the things they can access, E.M. Forster, author of The Machine Stops addresses this idea in his story. When addressing the use of a “Skype-like” machine, one of the characters in the story says: “He broke off, and she fancied that he looked sad. She could not be sure, for the Machine did not transmit nuances of expression. It only gave a general idea of people.” This statement addresses the issue of technology in an eye opening manner. If we are given the ability to pick and choose what we hide from others beneath the surface of technological devices, and what we allow people to see, we are hiding our identity. By choosing what people can see, we are only allowing a partial representation of our personality and individual characteristics to be seen.
We are given the ability to hide our identity behind technology, and this ability raises a legitimate fear of “losing ourselves as we lose our stuff.” When people do not have the ability to see the many things, such as clutter, that define us, every individual begins to appear the same. It has begun to take effort to show who we truly are. Forster explores this idea in his story when he describes the lives of the people in society. He states: “beds were of the same dimension all over the world, and to have had an alternative size would have involved vast alterations in the Machine.” Not only do we all appear to be equal in our characteristics, but it is a strain in order to uncover those things that do make us unique.
When exploring this issue, it becomes apparent that although technology has opened many doors in the things we are able to explore, it has also close many doors that allow people access to the things that define who we are and what makes us unique.
No comments:
Post a Comment