What We Can Learn from WALL-E

As early as the first chapter of her text, Wolf makes a clear distinction between what she calls the “reading brain” and the “digital brain.” From this analysis, she emerges as somewhat of a critic of the digital age, warning of the potential for computers and other digital tools to transform the way in which our brain functions.
Her concerns concerning the digitization of the mind follow logically from the progression of the book, and she asks some very profound questions concerning this process. Wolf inquires: “"Will unguided information lead to an illusion of knowledge, and thus curtail the more difficult, time-consuming, critical thought processes that lead to knowledge itself? Will the split-second immediacy of information gained from a search engine and the sheer volume of what is available derail the slower, more deliberative processes that deepen our understanding of complex concepts, of another's inner thought processes, and of our own consciousness?" Naturally, she sees the enormous benefits of the computer, but warns against too strong a dependence on it, thus encouraging parents to raise their children in a way that allows them to function efficiently both in the physical and digital worlds.
Though her book came out about a year before the movie WALL-E hit the big screen, her concerns about the over-digitization of humans seems to manifest itself in the portrayal of humans in this movie. Perhaps the writer of WALL-E read Proust and the Squid before penning the script.
Set in a distant future in which the world has become so overrun with trash that humans are forced to leave the planet, this movie seems to be an all-encompassing attack on human vices. The humans in this movie are lazy, obese, and of most importance to this discussion: they are totally dependent on technology. What’s the use of talking to one another, say the humans, when one can simply sit at his or her computer all day and communicate that way?
Over the course of several centuries, this complete dependence on the computer and other digital technologies has caused the human race to develop into fat, stupid individuals. They are not mean people – they are incredibly well intentioned, as a matter of fact. Yet due to their digital addiction, their thought processes have devolved into a state in which they can no longer understand complex reasoning patterns, but are merely simplistic and ignorant.
WALL-E is, of course, a satirical exaggeration of the potential problems of the digital age. However, satire is always based in truth; thus Wolf’s message is not unique to her alone – if it has reached Hollywood, it is obviously a legitimate social concern. I tend to think, however, that by alerting individuals to the problematic possibilities of rapid digitization, the first step has already been taken to help prevent devolution of the human mind in light of the digital age. Truthfully, every new technology has an effect on human thought processes, the important thing both the harmful and helpful capacities of the technology in order to curb the bad effects and play up the good.