The Machine Stops Claim

In Mondello's article he claims that in the movie industry, the future is portrayed as "sterile and characterless" (Mondello 1). He states that now "we are catching up to that vision of the future" (1). I agree with Mondello's claims about where society is now.

Today’s society is seeing a heavier reliance on technology and a lack in traditional methods of physical sales. Mondello illustrates how the sale of actual books has fallen while e-books are on the rise. DVD sales have also fallen and online streaming has become the new normal. CDs are nowhere near as prominent as they used to be. All of these changes provide evidence of how society is relying too heavily on technology.

Technology has become too much in recent days and if we continue on by increasing our reliance on technology we will end up just like the characters in E.M. Forster’s classic short story, The Machine Stops. The Machine Stops tells the story of a dystopian society where the people rely on the Machine to accomplish every single task for them. When it begins to fail the people cannot go on. “But there came a day when, without the slightest warning, without any previous hint of feebleness, the entire communication-system broke down, all over the world, and the world, as they understood it, ended” (Forster 20). This story provides reasons as to why we should not rely too heavily on technology to live our lives for us.  

However this reliance on technology can be a good thing. If it wasn’t for technology we would not have Google, a great problem solver and ender of many an argument. We wouldn’t have advances in medicine that can potentially save numerous more lives than we already do. We would not have almost instant access to any of our friends or family no matter where they are at any given moment with multiple platforms to communicate with them on.

But we should not rely on technology. Take for example cell phones. The cell phone is an incredible invention that has only gotten better with time. It is a wonderful device to have with you not only because of its entertainment purposes but also in the case of an emergency. However, are we capable of being competent in an emergency without our phones? I always have my cell phone with me and in case of an emergency I know to dial 911. I also know what to do after that. But some people rely too much on their phones. After you use your phone to call, what else can it do? We need to actually know how to survive on our own. We need to know how to get to safety. We need to be able to do things by ourselves. Our reliance on technology can sometimes inhibit these abilities.

The Machine Stops is a great example of how technology slows our competence in a real life emergency. When the Machine stopped its citizens panicked. They had no idea what to do. They had relied on technology for their entire lives. They were born into it. “Ever since her birth she had been surrounded by the steady hum” (20). Forster’s story reinforces the claim that Mondello and I both made. Society is relying too much on technology and, if we continue on in this same fashion, the effects could be potentially devastating.