The Dumbing Down Of Society As A Result Of Technology

Every day, everywhere people are using technology to check email, calculate tax, and talk with each other. Technology has greatly affected the social structure today and in Fahrenheit 451. Technology has effected how the TV controls our lives, how we communicate with one another, and how strong the social structure is In both the real world and Fahrenheit 451.

In the book Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, the author predicts the future of today’s society. Bradbury predicted the future of today’s technology and societal issues. Some technology from the book that is similar to today is the small electronic earpieces that fit into peoples’ ears to communicate with people; nowadays, it exists and people call it Bluetooth. In addition, there was large flat screen televisions that were the size of a wall. Technology is part of the societal issues from the book, they are similar to today’s society because the people do not care about reading or gaining knowledge anymore, it’s all about television and technology. In addition, suicide is not taken care of or prevented properly It is almost as suicide is taken as a joke. Actually, there are many ways today’s society is similar to the book, society that Bradbury based in the future containing advanced technology and societal issues.

Over time people have gotten lazier and we have machines to blame. According to Ray Bradbury, “why learn anything save pressing buttons…”( Bradbury 53). In Bradbury’s society in Fahrenheit 451 people just sit back, relax, press a button, and watch a machine do the work for them. Much like in our society, people get lazy and just watch a machine do the work that they could be doing, and having no human interaction whatsoever. According to The Bottom Line, “Internet and mobile technology seems to be subtly destroying the meaningfulness of interactions we have with others.”(Technology Destroying Human Interaction). This is becoming the reality not only in Fahrenheit 451 but in our everyday society.

Most often, people can be seen walking with their heads down, immersed in the technology in front of them, ignoring the whole world. Societies often contain a lot of technology, allowing people to use it in helpful or hurtful ways. Some technology can be lifesaving, but there is also technology that can destroy life in less than a second. Most often, people seem to not understand what technology is doing and how it is impacting their lives. Instead, they are blinded by the few positives of technology that actually hurt the society more than they can recognize. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the society is heavily dependent on technology. Technology has a negative impact on the characters in Fahrenheit 451. People in the society become addicted to the parlor walls, cars go so fast that they don’t see anything outside and the mechanical hound instills fear in people.

technology. Six decades later, this prediction is coming true. The similarities are uncanny. In Fahrenheit 451, society is chock-full of civilians who are ignorant of political affairs and elect officials based on their looks. Likewise, many people today in America don't vote, and many learn bad habits from television. Bradbury's perception of the culture in Fahrenheit 451 can be compared to modern society because people watch too much television, people don't always benefit from technology, and people don't value education anymore.

Technology destroys the significance of interaction we have with one another. It also disconnects us from the real world. In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, Montag’s wife, isolates herself from the world because of her overuse of technology. “‘Will you turn the parlor off?’ ‘That’s my family,’” she replied (Bradbury, 48).The quote shows that Mildred is addicted to technology and shows a lack of care when her husband is directly speaking to her. In Fahrenheit 451, the author shows the dangers of technology when it overthrows true human interaction. As a result, people have lost their voice and are afraid to speak up for what they believe in. The deadening power of technology causes people to lose interaction, increases isolation, and destroys the strong relationship between people.

The average person in our society spends 7-8 hours a day(The Washington Post) using technology; that is stuff like television, video games, surfing the web, etc. Let that set in; that’s a long time. Our society procrastinates also is constantly distracted by technology like no other. We are practically glued to technology; before we become slaves of technology we must change that. The theme of technology in Fahrenheit 451 informs us that the overuse of technology makes people lazy/procrastinate, that technology will overpower people’s lives, and technology takes away from people’s education.

People believe that an abundance of technology and fast, busy lives are beneficial to more efficient and overall better society. In reality, that lifestyle may be a detriment to society. The culture, characters, and themes in Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 create an interesting dystopian setting that serves as a warning to future readers.

In Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag, the protagonist in the book, lives in a period of time where television is imperative while literature is on the verge of eradicating. Bradbury portrays a society where entertainment is not only a distraction, but it becomes a dominant aspect in the way individuals function in society. Furthermore, Montag’s ideal world is a world that sees a concept in books rather than television. We live in a world full of advanced technology, however there are drawbacks in the midst of the benefits. Fahrenheit 451 is an example that depicts the disadvantages that comes with the overuse of technology.

Do you think that living in a technical world would destroy society? Well, in Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, technology is very advanced and seems to get people's attention. "You're not important. You're not anything" (Bradbury 163). Fahrenheit 451 is explained as a dystopian literature. Such literature portrays an imaginary world where misguided attempts to create a utopia, or a socially and politically perfect place, results in “large scale human misery." (Critique by Michael M. Levy) This quote makes you realize that technology is taking over humans and the world has to do something about it. By creating an “utopia”, Fahrenheit 451 requires the government to take away citizen’s rights and freedoms to create the perfect society.

In this fast-paced society where our lives are surrounded by technology and it is a part of our everyday lives, it is of the utmost importance that we consider and are able to understand the role of technology, not only on our lives but also on society. In his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, author Ray Bradbury demonstrates the damaging role that technology has on society. Throughout his novel, he constantly reinforces the negative impacts that technology has on us, namely how it replaces meaningful relationships, keeps us oblivious and controls us. As stated, Ray Bradbury uses the novel Fahrenheit 451 as a canvas to show and argue the negative role that technology has on society.

“As cities grow and technology takes over the world, belief and imagination fade away, and so do we”(Julie Kagawa). While technology spreads and completely takes over one’s life, the electronic wave cannot be tamed. Once society fails to take control of their lives over technology, they lose contact with our loved ones and reality, as well as the ability to think for one’s self. In the dystopian world from Fahrenheit 451 technology is found everywhere, and the people highly depend on it to do hard work for them or for entertainment purposes. Bradbury illustrates a society that has lost the ability to enjoy life without technology through a variety of characters that rely on unnatural and modern objects to fill the void of an emotionless society.

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a display of how humans are relying more and more on technology for entertainment at the price of their ability for intellectual development. It is a novel about technological dystopia, often compared to other novels such as, George Orwell’s 1984 and Asimov Ender’s Game. Although today’s technology has not quite caught up with Bradbury’s expectations, the threat of having his vision of a dystrophic society is very realistic. He sees a futuristic society in which this submission of thought is highly valued. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury displays a futuristic utopian society where "the people did not read books, enjoy nature, spend time by themselves, think independently, or have meaningful conversations" (Mogen, Pg. 111).

Ever see firefighter’s burn houses because it was their job? What about books being completely outlawed? In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury creates a futuristic, dystopian society, in where people are engulfed by an influx of technology. In this odd world, people are more concerned about technology than they are about people. In Fahrenheit 451, the book serves as a warning to us about the negative effects of the overuse of technology.

Today, teens are spending one third of their day using technology according to a new study released by Common Sense Media. That is a whole nine hours spent mindlessly surfing the web or watching cat videos. In the science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury writes a social commentary on what the future may look like if technology continues to be overused. In his dystopia, all books are banned and the government controls almost every aspect of people’s lives by brainwashing them with technology. Firemen burn down people’s houses who have books, Guy Montag being one of them. Slowly, Montag starts to question his society and steal books, to the dismay of his technology obsessed wife, Mildred. Bradbury uses Mildred as a symbol of societal corruption to highlight the dangers of excessively using technology.