E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops,” written in 1909, imagines the condition of the future if humanity became entirely dependent on technology to complete the simplest tasks of life. It is remarkable that this narrative was written in the early 1900s since Forster has envisioned a future that has been partially realized in the present day. The Machine, the omniscient apparatus that has sheltered and assisted generations of subterranean humans, has advanced to the point that humans interact with nothing of substance besides its interface. Mother and son have not spoken face-to-face in decades, reproduction has been sterilized and regulated, ideas have been commodified, humans are deathly afraid of touching another human after years of isolation—These are all normalized consequences of the machine. After travelling to the surface of the earth, Kuno has the epiphany that “man is the measure” (12). Decades of bending to the rules and measurement of The Machine had caused man to forget himself, to forget that The Machine is not a fixed part of his existence. In the age of the internet and artificial intelligence, we often fear that our existences could be diminished or replaced by machines that have destroyed the essence of humanity and the organic state of nature.
Modern society has already been transformed into a civilization with wires running above and below ground, overtaking and winding around the Earth, to establish worldwide connection. As in Eckert’s fictional world, we rely on our personal devices and the internet to contact others that are physically far and also to “summon” items to ourselves (Eckert would be very impressed that he predicted the rise of Amazon). Although many new and exciting opportunities have emerged from the internet, it can also be argued that humans are hiding behind their devices and distancing themselves from reality. Technology has also affected our desire for direct experience by bringing us images, experiences, and stories from around that can stand in as a substitute for our own experiences. It is important for us as a society to be aware of the grip that machines have on us and occasionally step away from our device to see the world from beyond our screens.