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)