The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

This post is a little after the fact, but after reading through some of the past blogs, I came upon one that really struck a chord with me.  It was about Brave New World and the effect that technology had on their society.  They had made some pretty drastic advances in technology, but was it worth it? Did it really create a society that was worth living in?

In Brave New World, technology had taken over the society and was driving the human population.  The most notable technological advance was their ultimate control over the humans being brought into the word.  Growing the people in test tubes and then brainwashing them from the second they are “born” to be submissive to the government is the greatest feat of science that I’ve ever heard of.  Having the capability to control that many people is remarkably scary.

I honestly can’t think of one instance in which science and technology have been used for good in this book.  Sure, everyone is happy and healthy, but that is by Mustapha Mond’s terms.  They are humans who are living nonhuman lives, and both Bernard and John make that known to us.  Technology has ruined their lives, whether they truly know it or not.

So has technology ruined the world we live in?

There are obviously two sides to this answer.  I think everyone can agree that our technological advances have helped our society a lot.  We can connect with people from all over the world with just a click of a button and travel with ease to almost anywhere.

But the negative, at least in everyday life, seem to outweigh the positive.  Cell phones, iPods, and computers have completely engulfed our society, especially our generation.  These devices are great, but to an extent.  I see people walking down the street and running into things because they are so concentrated on their phone.  Suddenly, Facebook statuses have become more important than homework and Snapchatting a picture of your lunch is more important than talking to the friend sitting across from you.

I’m a server at a restaurant, and one of my biggest pet peeves is cell phones.  I will walk up to a table, and instead of my customers enjoying each other’s company with lively conversation, they are ALL staring at their cell phones. COME ON, PEOPLE!  You made a point to go to a restaurant with your family or friends; you could at least talk to them.  Is that so hard?

When technology starts to become an impediment to our interactions with others, then you know you’ve got a problem.

It’s gotten to the point where technology has begun to make us somewhat inhuman in our lack of social skills.  We could very well be on the fast track to becoming just like Huxley’s fictional society.  Technology is slowly making us humans who live nonhuman lives. 

Now that’s something to tweet about.