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A review by iswendle
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
5.0
Fahrenheit 451 is a great read especially in the information era. Originally meant to criticise TV and its effects on society, it shows how TV can be used to influence and by extent control society as a whole.
The main idea shown in the story is that when books are banned, people become mindless zombies attached to screens. While I do agree that books can expend one's mind, it feels a little shortsighted to say that it is the only medium that allows for expanding one's mind. Instead, I think Fahrentheit 451 really shows how dangerous 24/7 breaking news, sensation-filled streaming can be, whether it be a TV show, a Twitter feed or your YouTube page. When we have the opportunity to only watch sensation (or worse, sensation based on our own opinion and our own bubble, thanks to personal profiles) it becomes increasingly more difficult to view things that are slow, informatice but complex. I think this is in part what we see today with a decrease in attention span of basically any human being on the internet, myself very much included.
All in all, Fahrenheit 451 showed me the importance of taking a moment to look elsewhere, to calm down, not at a screen. And while I don't agree with the statement that people need books for this, I do think this story perfectly describes what happens when all you can do is stay inside your own digital bubble. A bubble that agrees with you and gives you endless short happy stimuli.
The main idea shown in the story is that when books are banned, people become mindless zombies attached to screens. While I do agree that books can expend one's mind, it feels a little shortsighted to say that it is the only medium that allows for expanding one's mind. Instead, I think Fahrentheit 451 really shows how dangerous 24/7 breaking news, sensation-filled streaming can be, whether it be a TV show, a Twitter feed or your YouTube page. When we have the opportunity to only watch sensation (or worse, sensation based on our own opinion and our own bubble, thanks to personal profiles) it becomes increasingly more difficult to view things that are slow, informatice but complex. I think this is in part what we see today with a decrease in attention span of basically any human being on the internet, myself very much included.
All in all, Fahrenheit 451 showed me the importance of taking a moment to look elsewhere, to calm down, not at a screen. And while I don't agree with the statement that people need books for this, I do think this story perfectly describes what happens when all you can do is stay inside your own digital bubble. A bubble that agrees with you and gives you endless short happy stimuli.