A Cyber-Cuscuta Manifesto & The Veldt
“What were your fears? Knowing your digital world was being penetrated by us? Realizing that we were imitating you?” -Regina Kanyu Wang, A Cyber-Cuscuta Manifesto
What does the internet or social media get from us? It looks like we lose nothing except our time. What does the internet get from our time that we spend on the internet? We leak out our information and data to the internet. We lost our privacy. Many people are aware of the internet and question the internet.
The fiction is called ‘A Cyber-Cuscuta Manifesto’ by Regina Kanyu Wang. (Note: If some of you don’t know Cuscuta is a parasitic plant). The story is about the internet which is called Cyber-Cuscuta in the story. They send a declaration to humans that they are not a bad cuscuta and want humans to put aside bias and accept them. Seeing them as our allies.
“Together we reach an equilibrium: you create data for us and we digest the entropy surplus, maintaining a balance between various categories of information and preventing your cyberspace from drifting into complete chaos. You need us just like we need you.” -Regina Kanyu Wang, A Cyber-Cuscuta Manifesto
It is a good story that makes the internet come to life and talk with humans. The story is mainly focused on human fear of the internet but humans are the one who make them. However, they both want each other and cannot get rid of one another.
Technology and Convenience come in pairs. We cannot separate them. The more technology humans develop, the more convenience humans have. Technology is in our daily lives and we cannot get rid of it. The convenience and ease of life is what humans desire.
The fiction is called ‘The Veldt’ by Ray Bradbury. The story is mainly about parents who want to shut down the ‘Nursery’ but their children don’t want them to shut down the Nursery. In the end, the children murder their parents.
“You’ve let this room and this house replace you and your wife in your children’s affections. This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents.” -David McClean, The Veldt
The Nursery in the story represents smartphones. The parents use smartphones to raise their children which makes both of them addicted to it. When the parents want to shut down and forbid the nursery, the children murder the parent because they cannot live without the nursery.
The similar thing in these both fictions is how humans are addicted to the internet, smartphones and technology. We know that they have bad sides but we still cannot get rid of it. Moreover, we can do many cruel things to remain convenient.
There are many cases that children murder their parents or relative bacause of this issue of the internet and smartphone. Some of you may think that internet and smartphone is just a small matter but the murder cases we hear warn us that internet and smartphone in this digital world is not a small matter.
The internet is one kind of drug. We can easily become addicted to it but it also depends on each person who consumes it too. The coin has two sides as the internet which have both advantages and disadvantages. You are the one who has to control the coin to not show on the bad side.
