Meaning of screens?

Screens represent the power of technology to dictate what humans see, hear and feel. Screens are everywhere in the modern world and throughout the novel they are shown to be one of the primary mediums through which humans understand and interact with the world. They feed people information, they provide entertainment, they keep people occupied as they walk the city streets and they help hospitals and essential infrastructure operate. When the screens all go blank there is no longer anything for people to perceive. Their thoughts begin to mirror the blankness of the screen and they, too, fall into silence.