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The Age of Earthquakes Response

The Age of Netspeak

The Age of Earthquakes by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland, and Hans Ulrich Obrist is an interesting book because it defies all the conventions of normal text types. In an effort to not follow the traditional markings of a novel, the book mimics the text of the object it warns readers about--”netspeak”. For example, The Age of Earthquakes hardly ever fills up an entire page with words, it uses images, it has short, repetitive phrases, and it uses made-up words. To compare, Twitter constrains each post to 280 characters, Instagram is a platform for posting pictures with short captions, and the internet gave birth to words such as “meme”, “troll’, or “rt”.

The book clearly states that technology and the constant use of social media rewires our brains. That means that the only way people addicted to using technology can receive information is by giving it to them the same way they consume it. The authors cleverly imitate the language found on technology in a very subtle way. The reader continues to consume the book because its short and sweet and does not take much time to finish (in order for them to quickly go back to their phone, the authors would argue). Images serve as a way for readers to pay attention to important messages that aren’t necessarily put into word form. And the made-up language seems so ridiculous that people fail to realize that they use language just as ridiculous every time they open up an app on their phones. Ultimately, what they aren’t realizing is that the only reason they even got through the book was because it was delivered in a format that they’ve become accustomed to.

Word count: 281

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Age of Earthquakes Written Response

Michael Han

8/12/2017

English IB 12

Summer HW

When I first read this book I was immediately filled with thousands of questions. I noticed that without the internet we lose an important part of ourselves. From this book I realized that the internet has been so ingrained in our society that it becomes part of our identity. I fell in to deep thought as I started to grasp how big the internet has influenced us. I saw how internet influenced us in everyday situations such as google, smart car, or youtube. If didn’t have this it would leave an empty hole within us as our attitude has also changed through internet. In Current times if you don’t have the latest update then you’ll complain about how slow or how long it will take. I also agreed with the fact that time is going faster because as a society we mindlessly spend hours and hours on cat videos. I also noticed that internet has become a 2nd identity or a mask for some people. People can act nice or happy in real life but as soon as your online you are anonymous and you ridicule others just because you’re bored. I was also interested when the book stated that although you can connect with more people with the internet you feel lonely because you are ridiculed if you try to be yourself. The internet will show no mercy to people that try to be themselves by going against the trends. “The future doesn’t care about you” I agree with this as the world will move on while advancing technology with or without you no matter what you do. The world will continue to invent and develop; you are only a small speck from the 7 billion.

Word count: 287

Age of Earthquakes Pastiche

https://www.Who_Am_I?_.com/identitycrisis 

Age of Earthquakes Pastiche

Age of Earthquakes Written Response

The Age of Earthquakes by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland, and Hans Ulrich Obrist is very different from many other books. One of the most interesting focuses of the book  is the idea of the individual versus the collective. The novel speaks on how the internet has affected humans. Interestingly enough the book poses the idea that even though humans may feel seperated by the internet it has actually brought humans closer together. Basar, Coupland, and Obrist also present the idea that humans are actually scared of being lonely and that being offline is equivalent to loneliness. Being online gives humanity guaranteed connection with other people that may they may not receive in any other way.

Basar, Coupland, and Obrist suggest; human progress is independent of the specific humans. This idea is displayed throughout by the lack of characters. The whole book is more of a suggestion towards human nature rather than the story of specific people. The story lacks specific characters but also a traditional plot structure. It is more a wholistic comment on the nature of humanity than a story. The authors reminded readers that this is the story of extremism and human nature in extreme environments which is important to note as this is less of a comment on the world now and more of a comment on what the world could become in the future. The futuristic tone was slightly frustrating as it almost felt as if the author was just pointing out all of the negative aspects of life but it was okay because there was a balance of the good and bad aspects of things like the internet. The Age of Earthquakes providing interesting and thought provoking comments on an extreme version of the modern world. (291)

The book, The Age of Earthquakes, encourages me to reflect on the many aspects of today’s society and the stunning similarities. The most interesting part of this book was the structure and the style in which messages were portrayed. I read this book twice because the first time I read it, I was not able to grasp the full extent of the text that I was satisfied with, this could be attributed to the fact that the book did not follow the kind of story lines or plots that I have been accustomed to. This new plot structure can be attributed to part of the book’s message that “our lives are no longer feeling like stories.” Connecting this to our society, that statement comments on the ongoing shift in the idea of marriage from a focus on necessity to a focus on love, to try and make our lives more “story-like.”  Throughout the book, there didn’t seem to be a clear cohesive plot, seeming to be more of a compilation of engaging ideas. The pages seemed to resemble internet pages more than the traditional picture and word books, this choice appears to follow one of the book’s ideas that “the world feels too out of control-ish,” due to the world’s rapid changes. The ideas and images in the book move quickly in that the images and ideas are a glimpse into an entity that can potentially be much more. I agreed with this book in that it served as a warning to the current generation of what can be, but also served as a source that tells us what is happening and what is inevitable. I agreed that society’s obsession with technology has increased our dependence on it, physically and intellectually, and is changing the social fabric of our society.

Word Count: 300 words

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Age of Earthquakes Written Response

The first thing I noticed when reading The Age of Earthquakes was the intentional simplicity through the black and white color, simple font, and short syntax. But as I continued reading, I noticed that this simplicity is countered by a plethora of informal format, sarcasm, and paradox. This contradictory formatting emphasizes the motif of irony. I also found it interesting that the author develops a humorous tone throughout the book despite its dark implications (perhaps to make the audience more receptive). Naturally, this paradoxical nature makes many of the book’s concepts quite confusing. For example, the book offers solutions to certain modern problems - such as leaving small gaps of inactive downtime between tasks to make life seem longer - but that hope is crushed by suggesting the inevitability of self-destruction among humans. This use of the slippery slope logical fallacy to predict the events of the possible future is overly catastrophic in my opinion. It is frustrating for an optimistic person such as myself to read that the human race is inevitably doomed beyond repair. I did appreciate, however, that the conclusions drawn by the book helped me to understand how modern technology currently impacts my life and the lives of those around me. One such conclusion is that we feel lonely when offline since loneliness stems from the inability to communicate important things. But because being online is a solitary activity, we feel just as isolated when online. Another connection that I see in everyday life is the “bored people crave war” conclusion, evidenced in the profusion of petty arguments in the comment sections of various social media platforms. But, if the author truly believes that humans are doomed, why make the effort to explain the phenomenon via book? Perhaps the author implemented such catastrophic imagery in order motivate change.

300 words

Age of Earthquakes

Upon reading The Age of Earthquakes, I found it difficult to comprehend the full meaning of the book. As I continued to read the novel I found it hard to connect the linguistics from page to page as there was no apparent connection throughout the entirety of the text. There were references overall to the state of humanity in the modern age in connection to technology and the overall increased reliance on it in our ways of living which made sense for me. In my opinion, I am growing up in the technological era of humanity where cars have become self driving and homes can be controlled by technology. However, I question the back cover of the book and its meaning as it says “you are the last generation to die” repetitively which draws my question being, what does it mean? Seeing as death is the consequence of life, I find it hard to believe that my generation will be the last to die. What is to come of the generations following mine? What I found interesting is the different layouts of the pages. There were different orientations of texts varying from bigger texts to very small texts. There were also graphics throughout the book ranging in sizes as well. There were varying amounts of texts on each page as well which was interesting in comparison to normal novels with text lining the pages as you progressed throughout the book. Although the overall concept of the book when trying to find connections from page to page was challenging, the book introduced me to a different format of literature that was highly intriguing. (272)

The Age of Earthquakes Response Paper

The Age of Earthquakes addresses the various unvarnished truths of a part of the social evolution of humans, including the inability to connect and the illusion of progress as a people. The text’s avant garde nature of few words and colorless images still provided substance to the hard hitting message on the increasing disillusionment with the internet. It rang true that this generation's obsession with social media has tarnished the path towards positive emotional progress. The text lead me to think that only true companionship can serve as salvation.

The text dissects the intertangeld quest for discovery and power through sequential slides about how today’s wars don't end but rather, evolve. I found this sequence impactful because the concept of lasting negative impact is prevalent globally. In this age the media perpetuates the missteps of big figures and glazes over beneficial contributions to society. The cynical perspective on the internet, something I tend to push to the side in hopes to glorify positive progress, makes me consider how much of the real world I am oblivious to.

What I found the most confusing was whether the authors were trying to pinpoint the source of societal turmoil as the internet. At some moments, such as, when the text discusses how people connect via profiles rather than through their authentic selves, I found the internet as the source; however, at other points, I thought the source of the turmoil was the services/applications that the internet propels rather than the access to internet itself. What I found the most interesting was that no matter how advanced people are, we are stuck in what seems like a chasm of regress. The text considers regression from a world that was more emotionally connected than what is perceived now. (Word Count: 294)

Age of Earthquakes

In the novel, the thing that I noticed was the pictures; that correlated to the texts, the structure; that made it unique because it was like an online dictionary, and the order of the texts talking about the past, present, and then future time. I found that the pictures that correlated to the texts being talked about were very interesting. Since pictures can be understood, and analyzed for a deeper meaning, having the pictures with the texts created a better understanding of the change in human behaviors and technology. Sometimes I would get confused by what the pictures represented, along with some of the term and definition wording. Granted, I think the concept of elaborating terms with the definition was very unique, it’s just that sometimes I had to reread the passage to fully understand what the author is trying to explain.

The thing that really stood out for me that I agree with in the novel, was the average person’s IQ. Since technology has advanced, people have advanced as well because of the easy access to education. This statement also opened mind by realizing that we think we are dumb, yet sometimes we can be smarter than other generations. It’s just that everyone is used to having the easy access to knowledge that it’s considered average to have a higher level of thinking. Furthermore, I didn’t really have any disagreements with what the novel was portraying. I thought it had a unique way of explaining details to the reader.

Word Count: 250

Social media apps are looking into your personal life.

Next thing you know, you’re personal life

Is being sold

Loading…

Without you knowing it.
Tristan Ikeda 4B Hendricks

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Age of Earthquakes Written Response

I noticed that many of the photos were imitations of images we see on social media such as memes and making fun of the average person on social media. I also noticed that the Internet has allowed to make connections to people worldwide however being on the Internet is a solitary activity. I found the story of the Todds interesting because in reality we would all appreciate a personal assistant to help us out everyday but eventually they start getting accustomed to your life and become you since the Todds don’t have their own life. I also found the fact that 90’s culture is coming back to be interesting because it is a time when there was no Internet and is why many teenagers are interested in TV shows from the 90’s because it’s relaxing to see a TV show that isn’t filled with various technologies and all the characters being consumed by the Internet.  I found the concept of singularity difficult to understand. I agreed with the fact that we all are so consumed by our technology that time seems to be getting shorter. I also agreed with the fact that the Internet is making us more impatient. I disagreed with the fact that the Internet will be over in about 20 years time. I believe different variations of the Internet will come in the future but the basic concept of the Internet will be around much longer. Some questions I have as a result of reading the text are, “ How does slang language emerge from the Internet?”

Word Count: 259

Age Of Earthquakes Written Response

    The Age of Earthquakes is not an ordinary novel. It doesn’t follow the usual plot diagram of many other novels. Instead, it trades this format for something more fluid, utilizing pictures and a combination between facts and ideas to create and expository body of work that aims to enlighten the populace about the lives we live now and the possible path we’re on headed into the future. I truly find this book interesting, especially the captivating imagery created by both the diction and pictures used. The authors, I assume, had pages where it was just a picture, no words whatsoever. And I believe this was done to make the reader focus on what makes that image so impactful that it requires no words. I appreciate this, because it further supports their argument of slowing down and looking around at our dependence on technology and how if we keep pushing and pushing the limits of technology, we lose track of the little things and actually focusing. I do, however, question what pushed the authors to get together to create this body of work. Was it the desire to express their ideas and hopefully start or support a movement? Or maybe they just wanted a stage to expose the truths that they feel are relevant, give their opinion on them, and display it to the world to just learn? No matter their reason, I enjoyed making connections between the information that the book presented and my own life. Even though I read through the book very quickly, and probably didn’t focus nearly as much as I should have, making me reread the text and take a minute to look around at the influence technology truly has on me and to what effect it makes my life easier or more difficult at times.

(300 Words)

Tyler Perez- Meaningful reflection.

Age of Earthquakes  is a fascinating analysis of the current human relation with technology. One of the
first things that caught my attention was the styling modeled the internet in an ironic fashion.  The
characteristic styling of the book that used drop down boxes, meme formats, loading screens, and
other elements was in addition to the short sentences that abruptly lead to full pages of text that felt
tedious aimed to point out our ever shortening attention spans seeking instant gratification. While
also pointing out subtle ironies that  we give ourselves too much free time on our phones leading to
an endless dependence on validation from likes or the inability to let ourselves just sit and be bored.

I personally found the most profound part of the book to be the page that describes loneliness to be
not a lack of people but instead a lack of things that feel important to you. In conjunction the main theme
of the book, essentially says that the technology has changed our minds to perceive that a new
exciting sunset picture or viral video is something that we should find to be highly important.

One other specific page I found interesting is (the one shown below) and how it juggles with the
perspective of the dutiful worker and the unemployed bystander.  This page specifically interests me
because I feel like I never want to retire in the future, I want to have job that I love doing, something I
can feel proud of.  The thought of looking down on someone because they have to work provokes
some interesting thoughts about how I enjoy being able to binge YouTube on my phone and if I’m not
careful, I can let it take precedence over the things I actually want to do.

Tyler Perez-Ads are the only way to make money...

Planned Obsolescence of Celebrities- Emma Whitaker 4B

Emma Whitaker

Period 4B

Mrs. Hendricks

IB English HL 2

Age of Earthquakes Personal Response

While exploring The Age of Earthquakes by Basar, Coupland, and Obrist, it became immediately apparent to me that this text is multi-faceted and lacks a specific genre. The text is visually oriented, with some pages being entirely images and many other being images with short captions and textual overlays. It is clear that the images are intended to be the main focus of this work, and the text seems to function as a distraction in many cases. This seems to be a distinct authorial choice that correlates with the themes of The Age of Earthquakes, specifically rapid diffusion of information and a sort of societal distraction.

To build on this, the novel was very difficult to follow, as it quickly transfers from topic to topic without reaching a conclusion, and refers to ideas in a fleeting manor, with little to know context. The intentionality of this choice forces readers to experience a physical representation of our collective shortening attention spans. I thought this was a unique argumentative tactic, however I felt as though many of the concepts discussed in the novel were sensationalist and gross exaggerations. In some ways, the novel seems to be out of touch with the reality that it claims to analyze. The lack of evidence to support the arguments frustrated me, as it seemed to make many claims but none were explained. This could be intentionally commenting on social media or the states of modern debate, but I found it to be a weakness of the book. Additionally, I appreciated the inclusion of multiple perspectives regarding human relations, rather than just a criticism. I personally feel that this complex texts warrants further analysis and discussion, and that the understanding of this novel depends on outside connections.

Word Count: 290

Age of Earthquakes Blog Post

The Age of Overload

The Age of Earthquakes is an interesting read which despite its outer shell of sarcasm and images is deeply analytical and thought out. It uses irony and repetition to make it seem like you are reading a simple book, but in reality it is a deep, complex book that speaks a lot on current issues. The line “Your blog is now one of seven million blogs” (98) stands out as interesting in this situation. The exaggeration and the font used in the book for this line make this seem funny or not so serious, but it is actually speaking about the subject of unoriginality and the difficulty to be unique in an increasingly homogeneous world, hence the irony. As if this quote isn’t ironic enough, it itself is being written about in a blog. The irony is important because it talks about these deep subjects while still feeling like a light read to keep readers interested. The brevity is also a comment on how nowadays the average person’s attention span (especially with books) is getting shorter and shorter. Also, the background of this very same page is marked repetitively with the same line; “You have (number) new messages.”(98) The repetitiveness of this this line is also a comment on how we can’t even focus on what we are reading and we are always distracted by technology and social media no matter what we are doing. The topics spoken about in this book are interesting and the irony and repetition show how much deeper this book is than seen on the surface.

Age of Earthquakes Pastiche

The age of earthquakes and the overbearing force of technology

Response to Age of Earthquakes

Manas Jalihal

The Age of Earthquakes, written by Shumon Basar, is a representation of technology as an
overbearing force influencing our lives. The novel contains certain visual and literary elements to
convey the message that we are living in a constantly changing digital world and our lives are
influenced by technology. One thing I noticed in the novel, on a visual level, is that there is extensive
use of short, and concise words with a small quantity of words overall. On average, each page
contained a very small number of words, which could be intended to deliver a clear message
about the progressive movement and effects of technology. Furthermore, another thing I noticed
within the novel was the extensive use of various pictures. The intention of this could be to convey
the message of the novel in a more clear manner.  Furthermore, the novel utilized various pictures to
also provide a more clear understanding about the message. Literacy wise, an element in the novel
which helped convey its message out in an efficient and clear manner was the incorporation of simple,
concise diction. This was significant as it made it easier, as a reader, to follow the events in the novel.
An interesting thing that I found in the novel is the constant reference to the element of time.
This reference was made at the beginning of the book and I found it to be the central motif of the
novel. This was interesting as it made me think about the future and the progression of technology
and allowed me to question the presence of technology in the present along with its influence and
also made me think about how the digital life of the future would be as time continues to progress.

(Word Count= 291 words)

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Manas Jalihal