Technological_Determinism___Inception

Technological Determinism Technological Determinism is a theory that asserts that the behavior, social structure and culture of a society are determined by the technology that exists in the current period. This theory originally dates back to 1870 when R.W. Emerson said that “The Human body is the magazine of inventions, the patent-office, where are the models from which every hint was taken. All tools and engines on earth are only extensions of its limbs and senses.” Later, Marshall McLuhan added to it that every form of media or technology is an extension of a human faculty and that media is anything that amplifies or intensifies a bodily organ, sense or function. Cars are an extension of feet, books that of eye and a computer that of our brain. Technological determinism & Inception The movie Inception, released in 2010 and directed by Christopher Nolan, revolves around the idea of entering a person’s mind and plant, or steal from there, an idea or a thought. The following concepts help us understand how the theory of technological determinism shapes the story of Inception. Mental Espionage The very concept of the movie speaks of McLuhan’s theory. What was in past a lucid dream-state telepathic connection is now a profession and Cobb & Arthur, the “extractors”, are specialists in corporate “mental espionage”. The fact that they have a machine to do that is proof to the statement that all tools are extensions of a man’s senses. Their job is one that’s made possible by a technology that generates coordinated shared dreaming and “mind reading” in literal sense is essentially an application of human mind’s functioning. The Briefcase Ref Scene – Cobb and Arthur trying to steal a thought from corporate bigshot Saito, in a dream within a dream (02:48). Explanation – In this scene, we are introduced to the idea of thought theft or, Extraction. Cobb and Arthur are shown using a novel device that is attached to the extractor, his team and the victim. Once they manage to make their victim fall sleep, they attach him to the machine along with themselves and enter his dream. In the movie, this device is repeatedly used to induce lucid dream-like state in members attached to it in a way that they are all connected at the sub conscious level. This briefcase is a symbol of what can be said as a telepathic connection between people in the process of mutual dreaming. This sense or function of the brain is now accomplished by this briefcase that has wires connected to the nerves of all the dreamers. This way, the machine taps into the brain’s conscious and subconscious part and assimilates the dream worlds of all dreamers such that they control the environment and events of the dream world. How this technology affected the society' Talking about technological determinism, it is imperative that we analyze the social aspect in the movie. Now, the technology in question is the Extraction tool – the briefcase with all the wires that connect dreamers’ subconscious. The entire narrative of the story revolves around this technology and is actually founded on it. The movie in itself is all about what, when, where, why and how of it. All the events, practices and culture in the movie are connected to and are based on this phenomenon of living and constructing a world in your dreams using machines, an observation given away by various aspects in the movie that clearly show a widespread social knowledge and utilization of this technology. 1.) In the movie, this technology is known to the society and changed the operations of many a elements. For example, Cobol, the company that hired Cobb & Arthur to steal their rivals’ confidential information. This tells us that how this technology created a new dimension of espionage and theft. What earlier was accomplished by breaking vaults and hacking computers is now being done by dream invasion. So now, the corporate giants don’t have to be on guard against document or soft files’ theft, but dream intrusion as well! 2.) In the scene where Cobb visits Mombasa (42:30), he is taken to a place where a group of people meet to share a dream, using the wiring technology that binds them all. Earlier, drugs and alcohol were the means for creating a lucid state of dream. Now, the technology of wires connecting peoples’ subconscious, while they sleep, for a shared dream has replaced the other methods. Thus, we see how dream sharing and dream invasion technology is well known and dominant phenomenon in this movie. From Los Angeles to Paris and from Paris to Mombasa, people are using this technology for their own perspective goals. While some use it to run from reality and live their dreams(true in the case of Cobb as well), others ‘ab’use it for invading others’ dream and stealing from their subconscious. It can be logically deduced and fairly concluded that Inception is a tale constructed on and driven by a technology which in turn is an extension of man’s mental faculties.