I have to admit right from the start that this is not a book that I probably would have picked up on my own without a little persuasion. That persuasion for me was listening to M.T. Anderson speak at the Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin College. He shared his vision for writing stories and I decided that I would pick up something to get an introduction to his style.
I am assuming that Feed is a little unique in the fact that the vocabulary he chooses to use is slang for the future time when he is writing. The feed is a endless loop of information that is sent to you by an object that is implanted within your body and guides and directs you to whatever it is you want to buy, do, watch, etc. I am reminded of the current social media feeds that we have today in various forms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. His one line in the book that resonated with me was, “Because of the feed, we’re raising a nation of idiots. Ignorant, self-centered idiots.” The more we immerse ourselves in the technology and step away from real life relationship and community the truer this becomes.
Before you ask, yes I do utilize many of the social media platforms and yes I do sense the time that is drained from my life as I continue to use them instead of doing something productive. They also have some positive aspects that can affect our everyday lives as well. Anderson’s book reminds me somewhat of Dave Egger’s, The Circle. Both dwelling on the way that technology can take over and invade various aspects of our lives, while Anderson takes it to the farther extreme.
It was an enjoyable read, yet it was also very true to life. It is my hope and prayer that we do not fulfill much of his visions.
a mysterious way 