Dystopian Future in Feed by M.T. Anderson Essay Example

Imagine a world where you never need to look up to talk to someone, where you never need to think, because that is already done for you, where you never need to learn, because the knowledge is already in your head. That is the future of America in the dystopian novel, Feed, by M.T Anderson. In Feed, each character has a computer implanted in their head called the Feed. The main character Titus and his friends go to the moon where they meet Violet. On the moon their Feed gets hacked, and as they fix this the characters learn that the world is not everything it seems to be, and that the technology in their world really might be doing more harm than good. Technology impacts the characters in Feed negatively. It affects the characters' human communication, by devaluing learning, critical thinking and affecting retention ships

Technology impacts human communication negatively, by devaluing the importance of learning. In the story Titus states, “You can be super smart now without working. Everyone is super smart now...if you want to know which battles of the Civil War George Washngton fought in” (Anderson 47). Titus is talking about being very smart without effort. This is important because it means everybody can be knowledgeable. This is significant, because if everybody can axis everything in an instant, it devalues the importance of learning and education. This means that Feed is harmful to society. In the story the author says, “It is really great to know everything whenever we want, to have it just like, in our brains” (Anderson 49) He 

is talking about how good it is to know everything when you need to know it. This is important because in our society there are many parents who sacrifice a lot to make sure their child can have a good education. This shows that Feed makes knowledge seem less important, and education something that is taken for granted. If characters do not need to learn, this means that characters do not need to ask questions, or for help, because they know everything. This is significant because characters do not need to talk to each other about things they are confused or need help on.

Technology negatively impacts human communication, by demoting critical thinking. In the story the author says, “The first thing I felt was no credit. I tried to touch my credit, but there was nothing there. It felt like I was in a little room...I didn't know where. I couldn't find my lunar gps...So I opened my eyes” (Anderson 41) Titus’s GPS is not working, and now he is confused. This is important because it shows how much he relies on the Feed and that it is hard for him to function without it. He depends on the Feed to think about what to do and to tell him where he is. He only opens his eyes after he realizes his Feed is not working. In the story Titus states, “I was starting to get scared, so I tried to chat my parents, I tried to chat them on Earth, but there was no transmission”(Anderson 41) Titus is not able to contact anybody, through the Feed and now he doesn't know what to do. He seems almost helpless without having an axis to feednet. The people in this world seem reliant on their feed and it seems that they do not know what to do without it. This is significant because it shows the feed negative effect on society. All the characters are reliant on the feed, this means that they do not think on their own. The characters are never relying on their own knowledge or other people to help them, only technology. This means that technology is negatively affecting society.

Technology also negatively impacts human communication, by affecting relationships. In the book Titus says, “Violet was not a.. . She didn't mean those things. It was because of the damage. It was making her not herself. I told myself that again and again” (Anderson 211) He keeps telling himself that Violet did not mean anything she said, and the Feed was the reason she was acting the way she did. This is significant because this shows that the characters are using the Feed as an excuse for Violet’s behavior, instead of understanding that she was unhappy with something Titus said. In the story Violet states, “I lost a year. During the seizure. I can’t remember anything from the year before I got the feed” (Anderson 215) In the book, something happens to the feed and now Violet lost all of her memory when she was six. This shows that even though the feed can be really helpful. But, it can also be harmful. This is important, because it brings up the idea that feed is hurting Violet more than it is helping her. If having a damaged feed can make the characters lose their memories it would make it hard for them to communicate with people, who they used to know, but can not remember. Technology impacts human communication, by negatively impacting relationships. 

While technology can be very beneficial, the harms outweigh the good.  It negatively impacts the world, by affecting human communication. Technology devalues the importance of education and learning, critical thinking and harms relationships. Since with the feed everybody already knows everything, characters do not need to learn, this means that characters do not need to ask questions, or for help. Titus is also reliant on the Feed, not even opening his eyes because technology already knows where he is. This means that characters are never actually thinking on their own, therefore they do not communicate their own ideas. Lastly, technology negatively impacts relationships. Characters such as Titus use Feed malfunction  as an excuse for why people are upset with them, rather than realizing their actions hurt someone's feelings. Also the feed can cause memory loss, which can make it hard for people to communicate with others, who they can not remember. Technology is pulling people apart, instead of driving them together.

Works Cited

Anderson, M. T. Feed. Sommerville, Candlewick Press, 2002