Language & Technology in M.T. Anderson’s FEED Essay Example

visits him on the Moon and "He seemed surprised and then blinked. He said, Oh. Sit. Yeah, I forgot. No m-chat. Just talking" (55) as everyone's first impulse is to communicate via their feeds rather than have an actual verbal conversation with one another.

One really gets the feeling that these people have become so comfortable with this "direct" feed of communication that they feel awkward or disconnected without it; the characters' staccato speech Just adds to this lack of cohesiveness. Feeds characters seem Inexperienced and lacking of real social or physical connections with one another, and characters like Marty, Link, and Classical frequently come off as annoying and unintelligent.

The Introduction of Violet Is almost a breath of fresh air, as she Is much more adept to articulation and the so- called art of the "dead languages" that seems to startle and alienate Titus' group of the commercial manipulation of the public help her (and Titus) break away from the mold of complacency and ignorance that has plagued the population in Andersen's dystrophy. In "the dimples of delicacy' chapter, Violet voices her discontent and helps ring home one of the novel's strongest messages: society overconfidence on technology is hindering us intellectually and socially.

Following Titus' standard "ad ad ad" summarization of Violet's argument, she explains "When you have the feed all your life, you're brought up not to think about things... Because of the feed, we're raising a nation of idiots. Ignorant, self-centered idiots" (113). Why put time and effort into articulating information when it can so easily be transferred so quickly without the mental effort? Her wording appears more thought-out and full-bodied compared

o the standard lingo of Titus' peers.

Anderson employs language in this way as a statement on how our values have shifted thanks to the changing dynamics of personal communication. Her thoughts and expressions feel more real than what is shown at the start of Feed. Without feeds, we owe it to ourselves to build stronger connections and really voice our thoughts and emotions in a way the novel's characters cannot. The novel may not necessarily be meant as a warning for what the future holds, but rather a statement about the world in which we are already living and the value we place on relating to others face-to-face.

Feed seems uncomfortably close to present day life, and sheds light on the effects of the continually evolving relationship between language and society, based on our values and technology. Electronic correspondence has changed and grown exponentially faster since its conception and our dependence on high-speed communication has certainly affected our speech patterns and our social expectations. One can only wonder if technology will continue distancing us from real interpersonal connections or if we will remain subscribed to the illusion that it brings us closer together.