Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Today we watched an episode of the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After viewing the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer it is interesting to see how prevalent the usage of computer was even in 1997. It seemed to be that the computers were not as technologically advanced but yet had the same effect on human behavior in society as computers do now. Computers are becoming so dominant that society has lost the desire for intimacy of face to face conversation, or relationships. Some say society can not survive without computer because of the dependence that has been created due excessive usage. A specific quote from one of the characters was “If you’re not jacked in, you’re not alive”. The internet has a way of drawing in the user in a way that causes them to browse and investigate deeper into the net. In this particular episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of the characters Willow, was manipulated by technology. The demon that was scanned into the computer could symbolized the internet and how people can be controlled by a computer. The demon in the computer tricked Willow into believing that she was in love with a gentleman who consistently sent her e-mails and instant messages. Creating relationships such as those can cause for harmful circumstances and contact with predators. In another instance from this episode the obedience to the computer resulted in a ruthless and demanding act, suicide. Dave, the computer nerd's obsession lead to him being brainwashed by the computer, which then resulted in death.

CMC as time moves on will become more and more antisocial because personal communication is limited because of the use of the internet. Once people have been disconnected from society due to their connection and obsession with a computer, and are no longer socially efficient, you can then be left with the feeling of isolation. This episode is the perfect example of how computers are taking over the world. The advance in computer science has taken the place of books, letter writing, and individual interactions. Knowledge used to be dominantly obtained by reading a book and hands on contact. The librarian Rupert stated that “Knowledge should be tangible”, you should be able to smell and feel the texture of the pages. Now the internet makes research easier and faster. In the future the more that technology advances the more people will have an excuse to not leave the house. We will be confined by the computer, having it make important life decisions and disconnecting us from the society while yet keeping us connected to the world through the computer screen.