Blind Entanglements
Abstract
For my performance presentation, I will first discuss our current and future relationship with technology. Then, I will perform an excerpt of a short story called “Hustle Helpers.” The story is told by Greg, an employee of a large tech corporation called Eternity Enterprises. Greg has been injected with nanobots that cause him to hallucinate Jason, a person who motivates him to work harder and faster until he becomes exhausted and must choose between his life and his job. The story explores the erasure between life and work, the dwindling border between the real world and the virtual world, and individual choice in a world that enforces efficiency and productivity at all costs. I will follow the reading with questions. My goal for this presentation is to encourage people to think more reflectively about the technology we use and how it becomes entangled in our lives. I see the possibility for technology to be both advantageous and detrimental, especially as we adopt technologies that are productive, efficient, and life changing, but that also trap us in cycles of dependence, addiction, physical ailment, and overwork. The stories I write are meant to be an example of such reflection. For my performance presentation, I will first discuss our current and future relationship with technology. Then, I will perform an excerpt of a short story called “Hustle Helpers.” The story is told by Greg, an employee of a large tech corporation called Eternity Enterprises. Greg has been injected with nanobots that cause him to hallucinate Jason, a person who motivates him to work harder and faster until he becomes exhausted and must choose between his life and his job. The story explores the erasure between life and work, the dwindling border between the real world and the virtual world, and individual choice in a world that enforces efficiency and productivity at all costs. I will follow the reading with questions. My goal for this presentation is to encourage people to think more reflectively about the technology we use and how it becomes entangled in our lives. I see the possibility for technology to be both advantageous and detrimental, especially as we adopt technologies that are productive, efficient, and life changing, but that also trap us in cycles of dependence, addiction, physical ailment, and overwork. The stories I write are meant to be an example of such reflection. For my performance presentation, I will first discuss our current and future relationship with technology. Then, I will perform an excerpt of a short story called “Hustle Helpers.” The story is told by Greg, an employee of a large tech corporation called Eternity Enterprises. Greg has been injected with nanobots that cause him to hallucinate Jason, a person who motivates him to work harder and faster until he becomes exhausted and must choose between his life and his job. The story explores the erasure between life and work, the dwindling border between the real world and the virtual world, and individual choice in a world that enforces efficiency and productivity at all costs. I will follow the reading with questions. My goal for this presentation is to encourage people to think more reflectively about the technology we use and how it becomes entangled in our lives. I see the possibility for technology to be both advantageous and detrimental, especially as we adopt technologies that are productive, efficient, and life changing, but that also trap us in cycles of dependence, addiction, physical ailment, and overwork. The stories I write are meant to be an example of such reflection.