Age of Earthquakes

"The Age of Earthquakes" is a definite "wake up" book to the realities of the internet. The opening was very silly, yet relatable, addressing common “spam” items that plague the internet. This suddenly changed into facts about energy usage. When it suggested that internet and electricity usage could have caused the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, I was a bit “triggered”, so to speak. Having experienced an earthquake myself (in Japan, what a coincidence!), I was bothered by their mystic “science”, but it did pique my interest in the author's message.

I completely agree that the internet has changed our perception of the world, specifically perception of time. I’ve spent 10 straight hours playing the same game on Christmas, using the “it’s my birthday” excuse. In contrast, I get tired during a 2 minute conversation, and need to occupy myself with something else before I sleep standing up.

I also observed how the topic changes constantly, yet still remains somewhat related to the others. For example, it would first discuss perception of time, then video games, then memory. It appears almost to mirror our own scatter-brain thoughts, not to mention our internet search patterns and suggestions. Combined with the sparing use of words, it passive-aggressively addresses just how rewired our brains are in terms of attention span, “filters”, and perception.  

Lastly, I was frustrated by the author’s constant pessimism towards everything. I also expected more of a “beacon of hope” type ending. Rather, it just ended in resignation, that humanity is not worth saving and nothing can be done. When facing the end of the line, humans are capable of amazing feats. If everything fails and we cause our own extinction, at least we can die knowing that nobody will be left to say “We told you so”.

(Word Count: 298)

Pastiche...