Christian Colon
Dr. Licastro
ENG 281
4 October 2017
“What’s on your mind?”: The New Human Condition
The human condition has perhaps gone through one of the most dramatic changes in human history recently with the creation of the internet. With humans now having the ability to transmit messages and insights at an instant to others from the around the world, we have allowed ourselves to open our minds to a larger community. A community not based on immediate surroundings, but a community based on international relations. It’s allowed us to feel a deeper connection with others from around the world, and has given us the ability to connect on a greater level. A lot can be said about social media, and how it’s allowed us to expand on our empathy. But, has it made us more human? Instead of finding solace in our immediate neighbors like we did before, do we resort to the internet to solve our problems? Parallels can be made about social media and the Nexus-6 androids from Phillip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? In this book, Earth is split between synthetic humanoid beings that are somethings mistaken for the real thing, and their human counterparts. To determine their existence, a test must be administered examine one’s empathy levels, since androids do not possess this trait. However, are all humans empathetic? Is the technology that we are using today making us more human? Social media has pushed humanity to becoming more empathetic by giving us a platform to share ideas with one another on a global scale, but if technology like this didn’t exist, our sense of feeling for one another would not be as great as it is today.
In the book, most androids that are living on Earth are fugitives of the law. Their existence threatens humanity, and most are set to be killed. In order to find these androids, the Voight-kampf test (fictional test from the book) is given to everyone living on Earth to see if they possess empathy, a trait only possessed by humans (Dick, 1968). Since these androids are not programmed to feel empathy, empathy is what humans use to separate themselves from these machines. But were humans ever empathetic to begin with? And why did it take androids to realize the importance of empathy to humans?
Much of the book is focused on Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter whose current mission is to “retire” (kill) Nexus-6 androids. Throughout the book, Deckard’s sense of morality and existence is challenged due to the humanistic nature of the androids living amongst humans. He’s dealt with numerous occasions in which questions arose about his existence, and the existence of these humanoid androids. The book also follows John Isidore, an individual who’d been deemed intelligently inept by the government body that runs the planet. His problems spawn from his inability to pass an intelligence exam that is administered to all humans. Isidore’s mind had been poisoned by the radioactive debris that fills Earth’s air from the aftermath of a nuclear war that occurred on the planet called World War Terminus (Dick, 1968). Isidore plays a huge role in the book, his contrast from Rick is greatly shown in much of the book. Rick plays a bounty-hunter, who’s main mission is to kill other androids, feeling no empathy in the process. While Isidore’s empathetic views towards these machines paints a different picture of how we should view humanity and technology.
What is empathy in relation to the book? According to Merriam-Webster, empathy is “the imaginative projection of a subjective state into an object so that the object appears to be infused with it” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). The ability to understand someone’s else feelings and personalities. “Putting yourself in someone’s shoes”, is the common term to describe empathy. But why is this trait so important to us? And why do some believe that empathy is what truly makes us human? Some believe that the globalization of our society and economy has allowed us to become more empathetic for one another. When European colonist first encountered African tribes, they viewed them as animals. They saw them as tools rather than humans. They stripped them of their culture, and shipped them to other areas of the world as slaves. It wasn’t until hundreds of years later that these individuals were considered to be equals by their white counterparts.
As technology advanced, so did our sense of empathy. One of the biggest problems we had in 2016 was the refugee crisis that plagued Syria and the Middle East. Between warfare and conflict, many refugees of Syrian descent fled their homes and country to escape bloodshed. Many were met with distaste and rejection, and some were even forced into internment camps as countries debated over what to do with this crisis. It had become such an issue, that many around the world argued over what to do with these refugees. Ultimately, some offered assistance while others stayed away from the issue. However, what was most interesting about the whole debacle was the world’s interest on the specific matter. Technology and social media helped to paint a dark and gruesome picture of the whole situation. Some say that without social media, many refugees would not have gotten the attention that it so rightfully deserved. Tim Recuber in his article, “What Becomes of Empathy?”, spoke on the issue of the refugee crisis and how westerners have a hard time closing the “empathy gap” with middle eastern cultures. We felt more for the Paris attacks than we did for the terror attacks that went on in some middle eastern countries. Our western ideology allowed us to feel more for westernized France than we did the middle East. As western societies battled with the notion of empathy with these individuals. Social media became a huge platform for these refugees. Giving them the ability to broadcast their message to a much larger audience.
Social media can be described as the platform that internet consumers use to electronically communicate to others from anywhere in the world (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Individuals use social media to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content. It has helped to fiercely change our world’s perspective on communication. One can even say that social media and the internet has made us more human than we were before this technology was introduced. According to Julia Levitan from the University of Guelph in Canada, “Social media has contributed a new dimension of communication, allowing users limitless access to social interactions with known individuals, strangers, and common entities,” (Levitan, 2017). This new device has tremendously affected culture and our society as a whole. Even human existence can be defined by social media. Our dependence on the internet has also grown monumentally. We have become a technology-based culture.
Just like in the book, our society is half machine, half human. We rely so heavily on the machines that help run our society. We even have allowed ourselves to become dependent on our social media platforms. When you log into your account, you sign yourself in to the global audience. A person living in Asia can post a message online and have someone from the America’s respond. Someone going through struggle can find relief in their online peers and online chat rooms. Individual’s in crisis situations can post about their problems and have it seen from the entire world. Social networks provide for many of us a very public window on our emotions, and gives us incite on how sensitive we are to other’s influence (Young, 94). Technology has made us more human. Without technology, we would still be in the dark about so many issues. Our empathy with the rest of the world would decrease dramatically. Before these resources, individuals focused on what was in their immediate surroundings. So, are we any different than the humans that Phillip K. Dick describes in his book? Androids pushed humans to focus more on empathy. Just like social media has done the same for us in our reality. It took technology to realize how empathetic humans truly are. Although the two situations are different in context, their meaning is equal. We as humans need technology to feel for one another. Without it, we will still be living on the old notions of immediate community, and disregarding global issues. Our ignorance to the world will blind our empathetic feelings.
The book tackles the issue of humanity and empathy in many different instances. Referring back to John Isidore, the individual with an “inept” brain, we’re reminded of how easy it is to cast someone out who is different. Due to his low intelligence, Isidore is forced to live by himself within a huge, abandoned apartment complex. When walking one day, he comes across an individual living in an apartment near him named Pris. Not knowing that this individual is in fact, an android. He develops emotions for this individual, and neglects the fact that this person is a fugitive of the law. He feels empathy for the situation that Pris is in. We can relate this to individuals living in today’s culture, and see many instances in which relationships happen through technology. We have many relationship-based social platforms that humans can use to find connections. Some who believe that they are chastised in their own community can find association and likeness with others from around the world. This technology has given us the ability to expand our social relations with different cultures and backgrounds. A culture now based on global and multicultural influences. “[a]… critical aspect of the social relations of the new technologies is the reformulation of expectations, cultures, work and reproduction… with the masses of women and men of all ethnic groups.” (Haraway, 299). Before this technology, many of our industries were concentrated on specific regions and cultures. Aimed at targeted audiences and cultures based on separate beliefs. Using social media, we have allowed ourselves to feel for our global neighbors more than ever before. Just like Isidore, some will look past stereotypes and focus on the substance of the individual and their specific situations.
However, not all humans are on board with the new technology. Many are against the changes, and still rely heavily on the old traditions they were brought up on. Much of the problems that we deal with today are due to old traditions coming in contact with progressive changes. Humans are becoming more globalized in nature. And some disagree heavily with the changes. Rick struggles with his own existence and the existence of other humanoid machines. His job is to hunt these machines, sticking to a guideline that meant total annihilation of these androids. But when placed in unique battles, Rick begins to question empathy and morality in general. Sometimes we humans have a hard time coming to terms with issues that are plaguing our world today. Many turn a blind-eye to catastrophes that us. Some even fear globalization, as identity with one’s culture begins to diminish due to outside influences. The fear is that others will take away familiar feelings and traditions that made individuals unique. Although globalization has made us more empathetic amongst the entire world, we sometimes forget how influential others can be.
Social media has pushed society to becoming more empathetic with others. Just like in the book, humanity needed technology to remind themselves of how our emotions and feelings is what truly defines our humanity. We can try to relate to others from around the world, pushing ourselves beyond our close-knit societies. However, nothing broadcasts us further beyond our communities than social media. Phillip K. Dick painted a dark-gruesome future, a future in which humanity has destroyed much of what made us human. We used technology to assist our lives, not realizing the influence it would begin to have. Unaware to this, we used social media like individuals in the book used androids to question what it truly meant to be human. Technology is as much a part of us as the blood running through our veins. If it wasn’t for technology, empathy wouldn’t be as influential as it is today.
Works Cited
Dick, Phillip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Double Day, 1968
“empathy” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.
Haraway, Donna. “Cyborg Manifesto: Science, technology and socialist-feminism late twentieth century.” Routledge, pp. 291-316, faculty.georgetown.edu/irvinem/theory/Haraway-CyborgManifesto-1.pdf. Accessed 11 Oct. 2017.
Levitan, Julia. “Social Media Use as a Predictor of Personality.” International Journal of Health, Wellness & Society, vol. 7, no. 3, Sept. 2017, pp. 77-89. EBSCOhost
Recuber, Tim. “Cyborgology.” What Becomes of Empathy?, The Society Pages, 20 July 2016, thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2016/07/20/ what-becomes-of-empathy/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2017.
Young, Emma. “I Feel Your Pain.” New Scientist, 2017 Special Issue, pp. 94-97.
“social media” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2015. Web. 8 May 2015.