One, if not the most terrifying read of the 21st century, Feed explores what happens when technology becomes not a part of our lives, but a part of our bodies. In this book, a device that is called a Feed is implanted into people's brains at birth and gives them complete and total access to the internet. It allows them to download applications and surf the web, and chat with others without carrying a device around. It's all in the head, and anyone anywhere can talk.There's a scene in this book that is the most cryptic and terrifying warnings about the corporate takeover of our lives, not just monetarily, but with rights. There's a scene where everyone gets advertisements for coca-cola. The ads say that if someone says Coca-Cola 1000 times without saying any of the competitors names, they get a free 6 pack of coke. If someone says a name of their competitors, the counter resets to zero. So all of the characters start saying Coke over and over again. One person says that Coke almost tastes as good as Pepsi and the entire group reacts extremely hostile to that person because the counter reset to zero.
Another example of this is in the book that the Feed listens in on everyone's conversations. So if someone were to say something, they start getting notifications and emails for products and services based off of their conversations. Seem familiar? Keep in mind, this book came out pre-google and pre-amazon. Basically, corporations can put influence and some sort of control of the words that people say in this book.
I guess the main point of the book is that we have been warned over and over again by our history of what happens when governments limit our free speech in the name of a political ideology, but what happens when the same feat is done with corporations? Are corporations limiting free speech like Facebook and Twitter and YouTube etc. when they deplatform people? What about the ethical argument of corporations listening in our conversations and trying to compel people to say certain things in the name of money?
I read this book and wanted to throw up the first time I read it.
I have never heard of this book before, this sounds so interesting! It's chilling that it seems to have predicted that technology would listen in to our conversations and give us ads based of things we said, I always feel so weird when that happens to me (I don't even own a Google/Alexa device, its solely through my phone and laptop).
ReplyDeleteI think the two questions you asked are extremely interesting. I would say, personally, that I do not think that corporations are limiting free speech when they de-platform people. In my opinion, there are so many platforms that people have access to that a corporation taking a stand against someone (hopefully for the right reasons and not just some money grab, etc) just shows that they are being morally conscience, if you can agree that corporations even have morals to begin with.
I would have to say, for the second question, that it doesn't seem ethical for corporations to listen in on our conversations. It's a weird invasion of privacy and makes a lot of people extremely uncomfortable. I think the fact that this book hit on this point before it was even a thing really says a lot about the idea of this, and how it can lead to really bad things for out society.
Really great post, I'll have to check out this book!
I've actually heard about this book before when asking one of my favorite authors what her favorite YA sci-fi books were. I have not read it yet, but it's been on my to-read list for a while because I love how sci-fi books can seem to far-off at first, but then as time goes on, the events that seemed so fantastical can become scarily real. I wish this book were included more in school and university curriculums, because it sounds like it would be a really good tool to look at our technology today and to see how technology and companies have impacted our lives more than we care to admit.
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