The Problem with "Feednet"

Having a computer implanted into our brains sounds kinda cool. Cool in the sense that we would have something there to help us think, something there to give us access to the internet wherever and whenever we need it. In a world driven by competition, having a neural implant would certainly give the user a leg up on those around them. Without having to study, school would be easier; without having to know a trade, work would be a breeze. But as I've found in the first few chapters of Feed, having a direct connection to the "Feednet" has several downsides—loss of intelligence and privacy, to name two.

Having something there to answer all of our questions prevents us from learning. It's sort of like being young and asking our parents the meaning of a word. Mine usually told me to find out the old fashion way—dust off a dictionary and look it up. If they did tell me, I might remember it for the remainder of the day, but I would be lucky to recall it down the road. Somehow, the physical action of flipping through the pages of a dictionary and finding a word forces our brains to store the information away. For Titus, who's had access to Feednet since birth, functioning without a feed is difficult; when he wakes up in the hospital without access to Feednet, he can't even identify the action of a boat's rudder when examining the painting of a sailboat.

But there are more downsides than simply loosing intelligence; as Titus's and his friends trip the moon shows, with access to Feednet brings a loss of privacy. As soon as they step off of the shuttle, they are blasted by advertising from local stores. The ads, however, aren't intended for a mass audience. Instead, they are directed at an individual based on his or her particular interests. As Violet explains, companies gather statistics on what each user searches for, what they buy, what they bookmark, etc., and then sell the information to local stores, who then spam users with recommendations on future purchases. This massive loop leads to the overall loss of one's privacy.

Feed has shown us that the future of technology brings many detriments to humanity, including a loss intelligence and privacy. If society envisions the use of such neural implants, it is almost a sure bet we will end up like the characters in the novel. Hopefully this will not be the case.