The Harmful Effects of Technology on Individuals

Throughout the novel, the internet is ultimately shown to hurt - not help - people. Elizabeth and Jack are from Generation X. As such, they do not grow up in a digitized world, and the internet does not become widely available until they are young adults. During these early days of the internet, many people believed the internet would have positive effects on people. Benjamin’s attitudes towards the internet exemplify this because he believes that the internet will democratize information, allowing more people access to what they desire and giving them control over their experience. He believes deeply in the benefits of hyperlinks, believing that reading on the internet is better than reading a book because in a book, the reader is beholden to what the writer has to say, while when reading on the internet, the reader can...