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Are We Living in a Brave New World?

DISCLAIMER: I am probably exaggerating how bad modern technology is because I compare it to the technology in Brave New World. Of course, our society is not dystopia. However, there are flaws in our society that can be similar to the issues presented in the novel.
For my summer reading assignment, I chose to read Brave New World. Dystopian books are one of my favorite books because they make me ask various questions about the society's laws, culture, traditions, etc. These books can be quite challenging to read because I sometimes don't understand why they have these horrible laws, yet their citizens still willingly obey society's rules. Going back to the book, BNW is a dystopian book that is very different from 1984. In 1984, the society is very depressing because life is bleak. The citizens' main goal is to work for the government. On the other hand, BNW  is the opposite. Everyone is "happy" and life appears to be enjoyable. No one is sad because they can take recreational drugs (soma) and watch videos called feelies (sensual sexual videos). People treat sex for the sole purpose of having fun.
After finishing the book, I decided to do more research about the book. By doing so, I started to wonder if there were any parallels between modern society and the world state. Major themes in BNW include consumerism and happiness. A recurring pattern over the past century is that a group of people grow concerned about new technologies because it causes people to become shallow. Before, it was television. Now, we have smartphones, Netflix, AND social media. I believe that this concern is still relevant in the early 21st century due to the rise of social media and phone usage.
Connecting my experience with the book, I see a similarity between social media and recreational activities in BNW (soma, feelies, games, etc.). These activities are ways to make people pass their waking hours quickly. Media (social media, YouTube, TV streaming) help people feel entertained by being externally stimulated, so the idea of solitude and boredom becomes unthinkable. Even the thought of being disconnected sounds scary. Modern day technology has made quite a few people become dependent on these forms of entertainment to make themselves have fun. In BNW, people depend on soma to have happy lives. Without soma, their life turns upside down. They think they can't live a good life anymore. Similarly, people nowadays can't imagine not having access to social media, streaming sites, or other "fun" websites. All the valuable energy one has is spent on low-level activities. As a result, there are less opportunities for people to be in a state of flow.

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