Would you go into panic mode if you couldn’t find your phone? Or what if you broke it and everything on it was gone? The 2.9 billion smartphone users would probably agree with the whole panic mode thing.
In this entry I will discuss a major motif I have identified while reading. The first motif I would like to discuss is the idolization of Henry Ford. Throughout the novel the phrases “My Ford” or “The year of our Ford” is often used to crown Ford for the “perfect” society they have created. In the World State’s reality technology is their religion. Instead of some on saying “oh my god!” the members say “oh my ford!” This may seem weird, but when we look at religion in a modern day setting it’s easy to judge one that is not your own, unless you don’t follow a religion then it’s all entirely absurd. This motif of technology as a savior shows just how right Aldous was about our dependence on it in the future. Can you think of the last day you went without your phone? Or the last time you went without social media?
We’re all absorbed into the screens, whether it’s the tiny screen in our hand, the screen of the desktop, or the tv screen broadcasting the never-ending American Ninja Warrior that your not really interested in but you’d rather watch then do anything productive. We use these devices to distract ourselves from a real, raw, natural life. Aldous was correct, in that we’ll always pay reverence to the things that distract us most.
A modern trend that usually leaves participants feeling renewed is a technology detox retreat. People pay to have a week or weekend away from technology to connect with themselves instead of their screens. Would you invest in a retreat for yourself?
Reading about the World State really has me thinking about how much I myself rely on technology. At this very moment I’m typing on a computer with earbuds in which are plugged into my phone. I’m constantly around technology which is why I think I signed up to major in computer science. Because as crazy as it sounds, you can’t escape the screen.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World.
Brave New World 