In Western society, technology has become so ingrained in our lives that we are seemingly unable to carry out daily tasks without it. Technology it is ubiquitous, rapidly evolving and offers many benefits to society. From smartphones, to digital tablets and airplanes, technology is able to connect us from every corner of the globe through travel and communication. technology has also had many negative impacts Although technology brings us together, it has created a hiatus in our society by causing individuals to have fewer face-to-face interactions with each other The novel Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley both use character development portray the role of technology in isolating individuals through the destruction of their current and future relationships with friends and family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley describes the influence of technology on isolating individuals from their relationships through the example of Victor Frankenstein. The constant use of technology has changed the relational dynamics of today's society. Individuals who spend more than six hours a day on their phones or watching television tend to become addicted to technology and neglect important aspects of their lives such as their relationships (Hodis and Brunner 840). Furthermore, Victor Frankenstein devoted every hour of every day to technology, neglecting his relationship with the love of his life. At the beginning of the novel, Victor falls in love with his adoptive sister Elizabeth. However, as the novel progresses, Victor's obsession with creating the creature leads him to neglect it. In chapter 5, when Elizabeth writes a letter to Victor, she confesses her love for him, saying "I love you, and that in my airy dreams of the future you have been my constant friend and companion" (Shelley 130). In contrast, in Victor's letter to Elizabeth, he dedicates only one sentence to describe his love for her, because he is completely absorbed in discussing his own "secret" (Shelley 131). All his attention is focused on creating the monster and he doesn't care. his relationship with Elizabeth. Another example of Victor's isolation from his relationships due to technology is shown during the process of creating the monster. In the novel, Victor expresses to readers his estrangement from his friend Henry by quoting: “I saw clearly that he was surprised, but he never attempted to steal my secret from me; and although I loved him with a mixture of affection and reverence that knew no bounds, yet I could never persuade myself to confide to him that event which was so often present in my memory but which I feared if told to anyone else would impress it more deeply" ( Shelley 66).By hiding the secret of the monster he created, Victor reinforces his isolation from Henry. The isolation described in the quote is more mental than physical. Technology addicts usually show symptoms such as loneliness and depression, from family members and friends because of their unhealthy obsession. They create a self-centered world where they ignore the care of others because they are too involved in their own digital lives (Hodis and Brunner 842). express his feelings to anyone. His obsession with the monster traps Victor in his thoughts and further separates him from his loved ones. Additionally, Mandel's novel Station Eleven reflects a decline in emotional connections and relationships due to overuseof technology. Throughout the novel, Mandel describes technological progress before the collapse as problematic and toxic. In the current golden age of technology, the author labels humans as “zombies,” sleepwalkers all their lives. In Chapter 26, as Clark Thompson interviews a young woman named Dahlia, she criticizes her boss Dan for his obsession with technology and corporate life. Dahlia explains how Dan mindlessly wanders through life as a “high-functioning sleepwalker” (Mandel 161) and lives in a “corporate world full of ghosts” (Mandel 161). The “high-functioning sleepwalker,” as described by Dahlia, is a clear criticism of the use of technology in modern society, as it blinds individuals to their surroundings. Technology has allowed individuals to become independent as it can now handle multiple different complex tasks that were once done by people. You work as a postman, meteorologist, news anchor; they have all been replaced by apps, further limiting interactions, as most information can be accessed directly via a mobile device. The rise of individualism has led to a decline in relational values, as technology is immersed in people's daily routines more than ever (Hodis and Brunner 840). When Dahlia refers to this world as a world full of ghosts, she laments that people (like Dan) who worry about technology and lead their lives on their own have lost the ability to connect with others. Technology grants independence to individuals, but this excessive self-confidence leads to ignorance towards society and others (Hodis and Brunner 841). After the collapse of civilization, many characters in the novel reflect on their isolation in past relationships and any regrets they may have. An example of this is shown by Garett, one of the few survivors of the Georgian influence. When Garett talks to Clark about his past, author Emily Mandel quotes: “Garrett had a wife and four-year-old twins in Halifax, but the last call he made was to his boss. The last words he spoke on the phone were a set of corporate clichés, horribly imprinted in his memory” (Mandel 49). This quote reflects the emptiness he experienced with technology and his corporate life before the collapse of civilization; and compares it to the more connected nature of existence that replaced it. Before the collapse, advanced technology and rapid social development had undermined family values and relationships. After the Georgian flu outbreak, the first person Garett called was his boss, instead of immediately checking on his family. The obsession with the technological and corporate world has forced individuals to detach themselves from their families, without realizing it. Research itself has shown that communication and work facilitated by technology lead to communication problems and detachment (Murray and Campbell 125). A study conducted in the Netherlands described the negative impact of excessive use of technology in work environments on relationships. The results of the study showed that individuals who work more than 9 hours a day in front of a computer, have a greater risk of physiological problems in which they become completely distant from their surroundings (Murray and Campbell 125). These individuals tend to feel cognitive and emotional symptoms such as loneliness, which distracts them from their relationships (Murray and Campbell 126). After the collapse, where the period of the modern technological world has come to an end, Garrett realizes and criticizes the hold his old life had on him. His excessive use of technology and corporate life have driven him away, 1996.
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