The Age of Earthquakes is a very interesting book. I appreciate that the authors are able to make a social commentary of the internet by mimicking it. Essentially, The Age of Earthquakes is a pun of the internet or a play on the online world. The use of short and snappy sentences and a simple vocabulary not only relates to the audience easily, it simulates the fast pace of the internet. There is also an abundance of internet language, like the “the app called ‘YOU’” (106) or “You can skip to the next page in 2s”; alongside the playful visuals (playful being that the visuals imitate those of the internet), the book resembles something we are familiar with, which makes it even easier to read.
The simplicity of the book, however, is juxtaposed with the complex concepts that somewhat made it difficult to understand. The audience is caught in the quick rhythm; when a more sophisticated idea or lengthy story is introduced and forces the reader to slow down and make sense of it, their mind is unable to shift with ease. I constantly found myself skimming through the topics I didn’t understand because my mind refused to slow down. Despite the frustration of if this, I acknowledge that the authors did this purposefully; they wanted to illustrate how the constant speed has distracted us and reprogrammed us from patience and our minds from struggle and effort.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Age of Earthquakes. It was interesting to see how the authors were able to use aspects of the internet to prove their points (which is somewhat ironic; they expose the harmfulness of being online and yet they have used it enough to recognize its trends). The book made me more aware of my behavior revolving social media and forced me to reevaluate its role in my life, and in everyone’s life.
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ReplyDeleteThe pastiche is exceptional, it personifies some of younger people's worst enemies/ fears. It acknowledges how technology has influenced how are brain works and how it has influenced what we value the most.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated the way you interpreted the book and then self reflected on how the internet has affected your own life. I also thought it was interesting how much you related to the book and to see how our opinions are different :)
ReplyDeleteYour perspective and appreciation is pretty interesting. I personally didn't particularly like the book but, your comment on how fast the book was in relation to our internet-minds was thoughtful. Superb.
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