“...[I]t's not so much about the educational stuff but more regarding the fact that everything that goes on, goes on on the feed. All of the feedcasts and the instant news, that's on there, so there's all the entertainment I was missing without a feed, like the girls were all missing their favorite feedcast, this show called Oh? Wow! Thing! which has all these kids like us who do stuff but get all pouty, which is what the girls go crazy for, the poutiness.”
Feed by M.T. Anderson is about a dystopian society where everybody is connected mentally through something called a “feed.” It is essentially television and a computer in one’s mind, allowing infomercials, shows, news, and so on to be mentally displayed in one’s mind, as well as having “telepathy”, in the form of instant messaging between other “feeds”. However, this also means that corporate businesses who have this power can also manipulate people into thinking anything the businesses want them to think, which is in a sense, sort of a mind control device. “Feeds” are always on, unless hackers are involved or the feed somehow gets damaged.
I personally would not want to have a “feed” installed into my mind, even though I’m a huge fan of technology and its overall convenience. The part about being potentially brainwashed by the corporations does not really bother me too much as compared to the fact that it’s usually almost always on. That means that I would listen to something or somebody talk in my mind all day; I think that eventually, I would probably go crazy after listening to so much petty and useless information, not to mention that sleeping would be hard to do as well.
Anderson probably came up with the idea of “feeds” because of the overabundance of technology in the present day, or rather, even back in 2002, which was when this novel was published and released. He probably wanted to bring up the potential dangers of technology and if it is too considered too powerful in the hands of the capable who know how to use technology to their advantage. In Feed, the corporations can not only essentially brainwash people, but they can even interfere and wipe out undesired memories. Eventually, some day, we, as society, can probably replicate that, though it would be a forbidden taboo to do so, there are always some people out there who seek power and want to use it to further their own causes. One of the ways that Anderson uses to bring up the point that technology can be used for negative, manipulative purposes would actually be the way he describes the “feed” in the initial parts of the novel. It seems almost too good to be true with no negative drawbacks; it gives off entertainment, instant news, and even instant messaging. If we were to progress in the future and not think about the negative consequences, then perhaps we could be lulled into a false sense that everything is perfectly fine, when there are other malevolent forces at hand. Overall, Feed explores the impact of technology and its tremendous growth, and creates the thought of being careful with developing technology that is harmful, and not the type of technology designed to help people or assist in daily routines.
Feed depicts a world where corporate society rules over everything, including the government. This can be traced back to our own present, where the idea that money is power can hold true as well. The U.S. is in a debt of trillions of dollars, and even Apple has more spending money than the U.S. government alone. We are starting to lean on the path where corporate businesses actually have the potential to accomplish more things than the actual government because they have more money. In a sense, Anderson is advising us to make sure that there is a balance of power; the corporate businesses shouldn’t grow too powerful and usurp the government because of technological growth and money.
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