Feed B

I think Anderson's use of allegory was excellent; using the feed to portray that we are always connected to digital devices. Anderson compares instant messenger or text to m-chat; in the book, we see characters m-chatting even when they are next to each other. I think that Anderson's message is that we use digital chatting devices to avoid tensions in the atmosphere, like characters did in the book. Anderson's use of tragedy creates a mood for readers, knowing death will approach if the use of digital devices continues. This scares the readers and forces them to reconsider the ways they are using digital devices. I feel that his use of special and self-aware narrator is not as effective as an ignorant narrator. If the narrator continues to be ignorant, I think the narrator will represent more of the population of digital users and maybe... just maybe, it will have more of an impact on the readers. I don't think that emphasizing problems and not proposing solutions is the way to go but I am starting to think that Andy has a point. Using digital devices is inevitable when digital devices are becoming more efficient. Just when I decided to cut down on using the computer and learn the stupid side of facebook, I find myself on facebook more often. I want to spend less time on the computer but it is hard to do when homework is done on the computer; I would have to spend more time on the computer, reading people's blog and coming up with insights. Maybe there is no solution to this digital era and the use of digital devices will continue to increase. I think that this book is targeted at a general audience; everyone needs to be aware of the downfall of digital devices. Parents are saying that they will buy their kids laptops because everyone else is getting laptops. Kids and parents need to learn that the "hot" stuff are not always the good stuff and going with the flow is not necessarily a good thing. Feed is successful in the way that it does a good job describing the crisis we are in right now but is unsuccessful that the nothing is done about the crisis.

I believe that a mirror cannot be a hammer; if they are the same and a piece of art is reflecting the World, then the piece of art would only be reinforcing the World as it is. The World cannot be shaped any different as it is reflected. I think that Feed is a mirror; it is an allegory of the world today but I think it can be perceived as a hammer. If a reader is affected by the book and decides to take action on the crisis, then the book has been a hammer and has shaped the reader's actions. I would want my art to be a hammer, but it would probably turn out to be more of a mirror instead.