M.T. Anderson's Book Feed: Letting Technologies Become an Irreplaceable Part of Our Lives

“Feed” a transmitter implanted into the heads of people. Feeds are a crucial part of life for Titus and his friends. Feed takes places in the near-future where media is always with you. Almost everyone has the tiny device implanted into their brain which corporations use to manipulate their customers. Each feed floods its users with a consistent stream of ads, persuading them into a lifestyle of constant consumption. From the feed begin implanted as a child you grow with it and become dependant on it for information and entertainment.

The feed is a mind controller, it doesn't let anyone think for themselves it thinks for them. Which can be a killer to the brain. For example Titus says “But the braggest thing about the feed, the thing that made it really big, is that it knows everything you want and hope for, sometimes before you even know what those things are”. This quotes shows that how before you can even think of something that you want it already knows it, and Feed is basically is something that wants to keep you un-satisfied so that you can keep consuming; So with it being that way you'll never get or truly know what you really want. The feed cant be stopped, the reason everyone in feed is so impassive is because they’re so dependant on their feed for pleasure. Almost nobody knows how to make themselves happy. Since the feed can provide so much such as entertainment twenty-four hours a day, people can even use the feed for their dreams, with the feed being set up like this the people have forgotten about some of the most basic sources such as happiness quoted by the people, “Of course, everyone is like, da da da, evil corporations, oh they're so bad, we all say that, and we all know they control everything. I mean, it's not great, because who knows what evil shit they're up to. Everyone feels bad about that.

But they're the only way to get all this stuff, and it's no good getting pissy about it, because they're still going to control everything whether you like it or not. Plus, they keep like everyone in the world employed, so it's not like we could do without them. And it's really good to know everything about everything whenever we want, to have it just like, in our brain, just sitting there” (pg 10). This quote shows that how the feed really and truly can't be stopped. Towards the middle of the novel Titus and Violet shows us how their relationship develops. Violet shows Titus the world without feed, Violet is more like a real person who reads and has the ability to control herself. Titus begins to like Violet more because she isn't like others. Towards the end when she begins to lose her feed and memories she gives Titus a list of things she wants to do with him, which is an ideal life she wants to have in the future with him. With Titus being unable to respond and express his feelings makes Violet feel frustrated The feed is taking over the minds of people it controls the brain and make decisions for them. For example Titus doesn't have the ability to think for himself which ties back into him not knowing how to express his feelings. He isn't capable of doing so because he doesn't have a mind of his own, he has the “feed” the programmed chip that's implanted into his heads which makes people unsure of what they really want and which keeps them unsatisfied M.T. Anderson develops the themes of power and consumerism through symbolism having the feed have the upper hand in daily living so having that “ power” to do so.

Foreshadowing takes a part in the novel also through consumerism being the huge part because “the feed” is media and advertisements is always with the people and almost everything focuses on consuming. Personnification also takes a huge part in the novel because the feed is something that's un-human to have. Having a device that makes choices for you isn't normal. In conclusion Reading this made me came to an conclusion that we (the people) should challenge the way our consumer culture is.

Why should anybody care? People should care because it makes us realizes that how businesses can really manipulate us into purchasing something just by one advertisement and we may not even be satisfied with the result of it because we weren't sure of the action that took place which how it ties into our daily life. This statement ties into one of the main themes (consumerism).