Frankenstein Talk

Allison McConnell makes an excellent example of how technology in our society closely relates to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. "If Victor Frankenstein represents software designers and genetics scientists, and his creature represents our computer networks and bioengineering experiments, then we are not scared enough." My generation is constantly being called different things. We are the cell phone, video games, and iPod generation. As soon as a new technology comes into the mainstream, our generation is the first to accept it and utilize it as part of our daily lives. We are a generation defined by our technology because we live in a society where our technology defines us, much like Frankenstein's obsession with life and reincarnation. Also much like Frankenstein, we are quick to turn our backs on technology. We obsess about a certain element thinking that it will solve all of our problems and once we obtain it, we find that our hypothesis was mistaken. We then grow tired of it, neglect it, and look for the next big thing that catches our attention. Our attention span is drastically declining and we now crave immediate stimulation and response. A lot of this craving comes from Simulacra and Simulation. Baudrillard’s first theory on Simulacra states that contemporary media are responsible for blurring the line between goods that are needed and goods for which a need is created by commercial images. An example of this would be seeing the golden arches from the highway. We see the arches and although we might not need to go to MacDonald’s, our mind sees the logo and puts us in the comfortable mindset that we were once in while eating MacDonald’s food, thus sending us straight to the drive-thru window. Ultimately, I believe that advances in technology are a great thing but out society needs to slow down or else we will be too consumed and will not have anything to look forward to as a culture.