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Essay / Influence of technology on society: analysis of Ready Player One and Wall-e
Technology is evolving at a rapid pace and becoming an integral part of our lives, but evolution does not necessarily mean improvement. This can be thoroughly observed in the worldwide bestselling novel "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline, in the film "Wall-E" by Andrew Stanton and in the article "The Good and Bad of Escape to virtual reality” by Monika Kim. Technology exists in almost every activity in our lives. Technological devices simplify our work, but they are also a curse in disguise for humanity that confirms the fact that these dystopian elements are prevalent in the fictional world as well as in the real world. Through each of these sources, the idea of technical progress, dependence on technology, and escape to a virtual utopia was reinforced. When these three sources are examined, the extreme reliance on these technological devices used for escapism is quite pronounced, affecting humans physically and psychologically while ending their ability to establish interaction with others in the company. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Advancements in technology over the years have been proven to improve human lifestyle and working conditions. It is also known to be beneficial for medical research, military purposes and much more. However, excess of anything is disadvantageous. In the novel Ready Player One, the virtual reality known as "The OASIS". It is an online community and the game is created with hyper-realistic graphics that make it almost impossible to distinguish between the real and virtual world. This environment is where people spend the majority of their time. Even though the OASIS seems to be fun and a paradise for all, it also, unnoticeably, has serious effects on people, both physical and psychological. Since the OASIS is a virtual reality and is used in a seated position, it restricts the individual's physical movements in the real world. The OASIS allows its users to customize their appearance in this community and create their own avatars. “I was also addicted to OASIS, so the only exercise I usually did back then was running away from bullies before and after school.” The fact that everyone is doing the OASIS essentially leaves them no time to stretch their real muscles. All their energy is spent moving their eyeballs and hands, which is quite rare. Since the OASIS is not only a gaming platform but also an extended community where everything is possible like in the real world, it is easier for people to make friends and approach people because it is anonymous and no one knows your real identity. This is why people prefer the OASIS to the real world. “It was much more than a game or an entertainment platform.” Physical effects are just one of the consequences of OASIS, and they're not even the worst, OASIS also has a psychological effect on players. An OASIS player is mentally attached to the game and the virtual world in which he lives, which is very valuable to him and in such a way that it is inseparable. The OASIS effectively gave people freedom and entertainment, but at the same time destroyed their ability to communicate with each other in the real world, where they actually are. Although current technology is not as advanced as that presented in Ready Player One, we humans are slowly trying to reach this type of level of dystopian technology, day by day.“With virtual reality, it is possible that instead of simply escaping reality by focusing on a TV show, for example, people will choose to replace an unhappy reality with a better virtual reality.” This demonstrates the futuristic growth of technology that is slowly catching up with the OASIS environment that people will be able to access when they feel alone or upset. Futurist Ray Kurzweil already predicted in 2003 that “we will spend most of our time in virtual environments… We will all become virtual humans”, which is what the current generation seems to be getting closer to if we closely follow our daily activities. We are slowly beginning to live in a world of escapism “as critics of the increased use of television, the Internet and smartphones will tell you.” In recent years, the increased use of technical devices has led to numerous psychological effects on people. “In 2004, Zhang Xiaoyi, a 13-year-old Chinese boy, allegedly committed suicide after playing WoW for 36 hours straight, in order to join the heroes of the game he revered.” This shows that excessive use of gaming technologies such as virtual reality headsets can be more harmful than fun. Due to the high graphics of virtual reality, people believe that they are still in the real world, making it more difficult for them to go out into the real world and behave accordingly. The technology in our world has not reached that of the OASIS, but given the rapid growth of advancements, the day is not far away when the OASIS can be brought into a dystopian reality. Excess of anything is always bad. The film Wall-e explores the idea of technology and easy access to all activities. In the film, humans are shown at such a peak in the advancement of technology that it has more or less started to take over them. The technology developed by humans in the film has demolished all the physical activities they once did in their daily lives. Additionally, the humans living in the Axiom are so attached to their screens that they miss out on everything else on the spaceship. The special chairs they have are designed in such a way that they allow you to travel effortlessly rather than just pressing a button. Screens attached to chairs also keep you busy doing nothing but talking to someone or watching something. Everyone is so busy with screens that they are not even aware of their surroundings or the luxuries they have. “We have a jogging track.” They don't even know that things like jogging exist, for them sitting in a chair all day doing nothing is normal, which is certainly unhealthy. Although these ideas depicted in films may seem like an impossible reality, they are actually closer than they seem. Many companies such as Sony and Samsung are trying their best to reach a higher level of technology. “One day, we believe this type of immersive, augmented reality will become part of daily life for billions of people. " This demonstrates that even though the technology to make wheelchairs, like the one shown in Wall-e, is not there, but with time, the day is not far away when no one will communicate face to face or even will not integrate physical activity into their life. Recent studies in the technical field have shown to focus on self-driving cars that reduce all human efforts and allow the robot to do everything. Indulging too much in technology not only impacts your physical health, but also has a significant effect on your social life and communication with people in the world.entire. According to the novel Ready Player One and the movie Wall-e, the easiest way to escape. adversities in our lives is to evade them while pretending they don't even exist. The novel describes this concept in detail throughout the novel. Due to economic problems such as poverty, energy crisis and widespread disease, it is easier for people to stay away from these problems and ignore them rather than finding a solution to them. People escape these problems by spending the majority of their time in the OASIS. “I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world.” Due to society's harsh lifestyle and harsh living conditions, it is the only place where people feel at home. This seems preferable to the real world, as people invest more and more in it. OASIS is designed in such a way that no one feels neglected and there is always someone with whom you share your interests. “Luckily, I had access to the OASIS, which was like an escape route to a better reality. The OASIS kept me sane. It was my kindergarten, a magical place where everything was possible.” The OASIS allowed its user to be part of a whole new utopia where anything was possible and everyone could do whatever they wanted anonymously. From playing games to running a business, everything that was possible in the real world was possible in the OASIS. It has given users the freedom to do what they want and when they want. The OASIS environment was created in such a way that everyone feels included and no one is judged based on their race or color, as people have the opportunity to create their own avatar as well as a name to make yourself known. These benefits offered by OASIS persuade people to become more involved in the virtual world rather than the real world. Likewise, the movie Wall-e also depicts the idea of escape quite well. In the future, humans abandon planet Earth due to uncontrollable pollution and toxicity and begin living on a spaceship. Not solving the problem and instead changing paths is something society has decided to do because it is easier and more convenient for itself. Not only did they find an alternative solution to the problem, but they also made their lifestyle easier and relaxed. “Hello, just a haircut?” People from the future not only left Earth but also evolved in technology and created robots to do their work for them and demolish all the physical work they were doing except drinking their food and their water. “Sir, the orders are: do not return to Earth.” While robots control everything, humans lose their ability to work and become extremely dependent on machines to help them. Their poor decision and choosing the easy path caused them to lose the control they once had over their lives. In essence, they imprison themselves, without realizing what they are missing, without understanding that changing their goals because of an obstacle in the path does not help them at all, but paralyzes society. Furthermore, the societies described in these literary sources are shown to define the ideas of escape and create a new path instead of clearing the old ones. These practices can lead to further destruction of reality and eventually a utopia created also due to existing habits of escaping from problems. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The societies in these literary works are more or less. 21, 2008