Technology In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

769 Words4 Pages

Many revel in spending their leisurely hours in front of a television screen, while some are content to glue their eyes to a laptop or computer, and others prefer to hover about with their cell phones, unable to be separated from them for even a minute. Even so, they are united by their dependence on technology. Similarly, in the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, technology is a major aspect of characters' lives. In their society, reading is banned, while technology is encouraged to the point that the people consider their television as their real family. Although it is debatable whether technology is helpful or not, Fahrenheit 451 clearly demonstrates how technology has negative impacts on human behavior. Technology in Fahrenheit 451 …show more content…

Dr. Dietrich Jehle, a researcher from the University of Buffalo, says that one-tenth of pedestrian injuries are a result of distracted walking. To be more specific, texting while walking. Jehle adds that “while talking on the phone is a distraction, texting is much more dangerous because you cannot see the path in front of you.” A 2011 study found that texting can hinder walking ability by a 61% error rate. Other than that, hospital emergency room numbers have revealed that pedestrian injuries caused by cell phones have increased by 35% since 2010 ("Walking While Looking Down"). Overuse of cell phones is undoubtedly beginning to put people at risk. Besides cell phones, television has negative effects as well. Advertisements on television harm British children from the exposure to "about 10,000 adverts every year on television, in addition to hundreds of 'pop-ups' on the internet." Thus, children pressure themselves to be "cool". Nowadays, almost one-third of kids are unsatisfied with their appearance, 75% of seven-year old girls wish to be skinnier, and the number of boys introduced to steroids has risen (Winnett). Television is changing people so that they view themselves in a pessimistic way, similar to how television in Fahrenheit 451 is taking over people's lives and rendering them useless. Moreover, television contributes to why people worry. The constant