The Individual's Perceptions In Feed By M. T. Anderson

It is through the interaction with others and the world around them that individuals socialised. We as individuals are able to reaffirm our beliefs, values and attitudes of ourselves, others and the broader within our social context, through the communication with the people around us. The influence of technology and relationships in their respective context is exhibited in both texts which leads to a change in the individual’s perceptions. M.T. Anderson’s novel ‘Feed’ depicts a dystopian society and presents a satirical vision on consumerism and advertising, through the use of a piece of technology called the ‘feed’. Anderson demonstrates his beliefs and concern for future generations, as he questions the concurrent impact of technology. Anderson

Through these texts, the pervasive power of interactions within a range of social contexts are apparent.

In “Feed”, the sinister nature of the technological device called the ‘feed’ which controls, reads and often interrupts the protagonist’s thoughts is obscured by his obliviousness. Anderson skilfully satirises the damaging and consuming nature of our interactions with technology by juxtaposing the feed’s relentless advertising and Titus’ internal monologue. The constant use of idiomatic phrases such as ‘unit’,‘null’ and ‘meg’ occur throughout the novel, which enables the reader to understand the degradation of language in a technology based society which consists of elements of contemporary society. In the quote “fun’s fun, and fun’s what you can have”, the repetition of the word fun, portrays Titus as a product of his time, and his thoughts are coerced by the series of images produced by the feed by corporations and as a result of this it shapes who he is. The feed’s dominant presence in social communication is enhanced by Anderson’s use of dialogue between characters through ‘chatting’, as their manner of talking is defined by the

V’s past experience in prison symbolises a shift in his values and attitudes as the film constantly shifts from his relationship with Evey and her own experience of being tortured to V’s past where corporate greed and elitism triumph over social reform. Valerie, is a prisoner before V who forms a relationship with him through a letter is presented to the audience through a series of flashbacks. During the flashbacks, Valerie says “I only told them the truth, was that so selfish”. The use of first person shows that we all have ideological values and that she was the one to reinforce the values that V now acknowledges. By contrast, V’s interactions with Evey is similar to his and Valerie’s relationship in a way because he demonstrates his need to influence Evey’s ideological values after she wilfully reacted against the government. V ideally sees Evey as a way to preserve his integrity and ideals and protect his legacy. Thus the composer seeks to examine the way relationships with significant others are shaped by their social