Prophecy in Feed

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      Adolescent literature's best function is to expose and challenge aspects of society to younger readers which allow the reader to be more open-minded and mindful of whatever the book is trying to teach. Feed does the effectively, the book is challenging the use of technology and consumerism, which adolescents have grown addicted to.
      Technology was so highly thought of for most of my life, but the stigma surrounding the innovation is changing because fears relate-able to this book. What was originally something that was supposed to broaden and open our world to unbelievable connections and communication possibilities has actually narrowed our attention and time greatly. People choose to watch their twitter feeds more often than have an uninterrupted conversation with someone. M.T. Anderson wrote this book almost twenty years ago, yet was able to predict the fears that many people have today about consumerism hijacking our agency as online addicts. Just like in the novel, we are constantly barraged with ads formulated for our taste through complex algorithms that understand our habits extremely well. Also, with the creation of Artificial Intelligence, people are extremely worried about very practical grounded issues like job security, or being replaced by a robot, to the extreme like in the novel where humans are so dependent on technology that it literally controls us.
      Despite M.T. Anderson's argument against technology, I am somewhere in between. I see daily that people are becoming restricted on their technology, or swept up into the consumerist society that technology has helped create, yet I do not believe it is a healthy and rational fear that the extreme view of technology becoming so inclusive that people cannot physically live without it is unrealistic. Over all, I think we are better off constantly pushing forward and challenging ourselves as a species to be proactive and create newer and more advanced technology. The medical field, education, and science has gained so much from the technological advancements that I think it outweighs the fears that Feed predict on such a drastic scale.
      However, I do think Anderson effectively and justifiably creates a necessary skepticism in young readers through the creation of this book. Being aware of all the downfalls of technology can help audiences become aware of their dependence of their phones, and also understand how ad companies has sway on our every day lives.

Comments

  1. Ally DunlapOctober 31, 2019 at 9:46 PM

    You make a lot of really good points. While reading your blog post, it reminded me of something a teacher told me in high school. She always told me how jealous she was of high schoolers nowadays because when she was in school, she did not have access to information at the tip of her fingers like almost everyone does now. I think technology is something that is taken advantage of especially with how quickly it is advancing. However, like you said, these advancements have helped many professions. Do you think with how quickly technology is advancing and with how much most adolescents use it that it will cause adolescents to lack communication skills?

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  2. Taylor ScottNovember 3, 2019 at 6:57 PM

    I agree with you about the benefits of technology, but I wonder sometimes if outside of those, the majority of its use is not creating an unhealthy dependence on it that we cannot stop. I think that unless people are forced to be without their technology, they will not choose it on their own. I think medical and transportation technology are really great for our society, but entertainment and communication technology are creating a lot of problems for us, in my opinion.

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