Fahrenheit 182 - Do Modern Means of Communication Make Our Society Better or Worse?

Assignment: Do modern means of communication make our society better or worse?

People are always amazed and intrigued by the sci-fi movies or movies of the future." Nowadays, people communicate quickly with email, telephone, and texting. Although better communication technology may mean a more comfortable lifestyle, it is not always better for society.

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 182 depicts the negative effects of technology in the near future. The time period of Fahrenheit 182 is one of a completely authoritarian government that monitors a person's every though and movement using small computer chips. People are afraid of punishment from the government, so they completely stop communicating, which leads to the deterioration of the society entirely. Bradbury is emphasizing the fact that by relying so much on technology, society has left it up to computer chips to completely do all the thinking. Some may argue that Bradbury's book is much too dramatic, but his words speak the truth. By going forward with technology, society becomes much too dependent on technology to the point where society wouldn't be able to think for itself. Society's ability to communicate impacts the relationships we build with others as well as our feelings.

There is a stark contrast between communication in the modern world versus and traditional communication. To communicate, people used to write letters to one another, but when technology came into the picture, it greatly impacted the time, thought, and energy that goes into letters. Because the mail system was painstakingly slow, people would want to make the most out of their letters, thus putting more time and meaning into letters. Nowadays, however, with speedy communication tools, people no longer feel the need to put as much thought and tune into what they say. Technology has forced people to become impersonal and rash with their words.

Technology, although more convenient, doesn't positively effect society. Technology damages society through impersonality and indifference. To prevent this, we must think of what is beneficial to society rather than convenient to ourselves.