A Guide to the Extreme Present?

Basar, Coupland, and Obrist’s The Age of Earthquakes is a frenetic series of different page layouts that forces us to confront the power dynamic we’ve inadvertently succumbed to as a modern society. The “guide” presents quick, digestible snippets in a blatant imitation of the internet we’ve grown accustomed to; however, instead of familiarity, the ever-changing nature of the text entraps us in a world of “proceleration” where we must struggle to keep up. The book’s structure reinforces the notion that “the world feels out-of-control-ish because too many things are changing too quickly”.

The pace of the world shouldn’t leave us feeling helpless, but oddly enough it does because we are no longer the ones determining it. We’ve unknowingly become so dependent on technology, whether it be to connect to the rest of the world or escape it, that we’ve successfully enslaved ourselves to it. Do we own the internet? Or does the internet own us? Going one step further, the authors argue that we exist as the medium through which technology evolves rather than its creator. The book diminishes the value of the individual, resolute that “the future loves you but it doesn’t need you”.

Basar, Coupland, and Obrist claim that “Your 20^th century linear mind has been rewired into a 21^st century lattice. Go with it!” The passive voice when referring to the human mind followed by the seemingly blasé command characterizes us as powerless sheeple in the face of technology. I, however, disagree. The discomfort and anxiety we experience as a consequence of this book’s structure is evidence in and of itself that our brains haven’t been successfully recalibrated to mindlessly accept entropy. We won’t lose ourselves to the 1s and 0s as long as we don’t relinquish control.

Word Count: 291 words

 Note: Image of Hand from VectorStock

Sharonya Battula

Hendricks 3A