Fahrenheit 541

Are We There Yet?

Numerous parallels exist between our society and Fahrenheit 451’s society. As our society continues to become digitalized, it becomes disturbingly like Fahrenheit 451. Technology plays a major role in both societies; however, we should try to prevent becoming the same society as Fahrenheit 451’s society.

The amount of time people spend on technology has been drastically increasing. Since most people spend a lot of time on technology, they develop the habit of being lazy. My neighbors have a daughter who is only three years of age. I would expect her to be playing outside; however, she constantly watches TV and cries if she is not allowed to watch TV. As she grew up, she became more addicted, since she currently watches at least 6 hours a day. In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred is always watching TV and became so delusional that she considered the characters in her show to be her family. Everytime I go to my neighbor's house, the girl introduces me to the characters in the show, as if they were her friends and family. Unfortunately, she is not the only child to be addicted to watching TV. “According to MedlinePlus, the National Institutes of Health's U.S. National Library of Medicine, many American children can spend approximately three hours watching TV per day” (Salmons). Despite the fact that people are constantly using technology, there are some ways to reduce the amount of time spent on electronics. To prevent our society from completely becoming like 451’s society, people should implement the idea of a week without technology. If people are not continuously exposed to TV,

they might decrease the use of technology, since they develop other ways of keeping themselves entertained besides watching TV.

Additionally, the use of electronics has caused our society to become negatively reliant and dependent on technology as a way to avoid reality. In Fahrenheit 451, people rely on technology to keep them happy. Without their TVs and seashells, they would realize that they are falsely believing that they are content with their lives. Technology serves as a distraction from reality in both societies. In times of stress, most people try to escape from reality by using technological devices. Some people block out the world by using headphones to listen to music. Others play games on their computers because they are bored with life and would rather play games than go somewhere. “Psychologists say we use technology to avoid our issues. Problem is that avoidance creates more issues” (Deppe). Technology serves as a perfect way to pretend as if the problem never existed and has caused our society to ignore the issue and bury it in the back of our minds. My friend always