In this essay I will discuss “In The Day of The Postman,” written by Rebecca Solnit (London Review of Books, 2013). I will be exploring the key points raised by Solnit in this piece through two objects. I have chosen to apply these points to Mobile Lovers, by Banksy, and an iPhone. In this text, Solnit discusses the evolution of technology, and the unhealthy relationship that humans have developed with technology in today’s world. She focuses mainly on the idea that “our privacy is being strip-minded and hoarded.” (Rebecca Solnit, 2013) The piece bares a stark resemblance to Banksy’s Mobile Lovers, in which two people, presumably lovers, are holding each other whilst looking over each other’s shoulders into their phones. The piece often refers to mobile phones as well, specifically smartphones, and how they are quickly taking over our relationships with each other, and creating their own space in our lives.
The author provides an extremely convincing argument throughout the piece. She puts across her ideas with conviction and considerable verbal dexterity. Amongst other techniques, her use of facts, rather than questions, presents the reader with no choice other than to agree with her. For example, she mentions that “We are moving into a world of unaccountable and secretive corporations that manage all our communications and work hand in hand with governments to make us visible to them.” (Solnit, 2013) The use of declarative sentences throughout the piece seems to
Mobile Lovers, Banksy, Bristol, 2014
give the reader a sense of clarification. The confidence in this sentence makes the reader feel that what they are reading is fact, regardless of the fact that no figures follow the point. This type of writing is something that we see continually throughout the work.
“The subsidiary pleasures – dressing up, standing in line with strangers and friends, the smell of popcorn, holding hands in the dark..” (Solnit, 2013) These are all things that Solnit believes should be appreciated. The rush of a first date, or any date for that matter, should not become some form of dull routine. However, our relationship with technology has made it so much harder to keep up appearances. There seems to be no need for intimacy and first dates, as everything can now be done in the home. Why pay for tickets and popcorn, when you can order food on your smartphone, and watch a movie on your iPad, all from the comfort of your living room. Solnit says that “It used to be the case that when you were at a movie, you were 100 per cent there, in the velvety darkness..” This is no longer the case. We sit in silence, half watching our film, half on our phones, “cheating on them”, as the author puts it. (Solnit, 2013)We will always give most of ourselves to our technology.
Solnit mentions that in the time she’s referring to (presumably the 60s or 70s),
“You read the paper over breakfast. If there were developments you heard about them on the evening news or in the next day’s paper. You listened to the news when it was broadcast, since there was no other way to hear it.”
This can be seen in today’s world, but in such a shocking, different way. Nowadays, you read your phone over breakfast. Apps such as The Daily Mail, Irish Times, and the Sun have made news more accessible than it has ever been before. Solnit makes the point that “you listened to the news..since there was no other way to hear it.” The same point has become applicable to smartphones. It seems almost that if you don’t have a smartphone, you seem to miss out on news/information. While this constant link to information may be a good thing for some, there are definite disadvantages. In a study conducted by consultancy Deloitte, it was found that “one in three people checks their smartphones in the middle of the night.” The relationship with technology is not only ruining homes and relationships, but damaging our physical health.
Another point made by the author is that “Google may soon be trying to convince you that life without them is impossible.” (Solnit, 2013) Consider the smartphone, and the companies that create them. Apple and Samsung have found countless ways to make us feel like we need them in our lives. By making more and more products we feel that this, only using their products, is the only way to live. The author asks if there will one day be a revolt against certain technologies, or “corporations in charge of those technologies.” (Solnit, 2013) I don’t believe there will. The smartphone has become not a part of our lives, but it has become our lives entirely.
In Solent’s writing, she mentions that “our lives are a constant swirl of information, of emails that can be checked on phones, and phones that are checked in theatres and bedrooms.” (Solnit, 2013) Even in my own experience, I have spent countless hours in rooms filled with people, feeling completely isolated as everyone around me is stuck in a tunnel of white light, peering into their phones, and into their own worlds. We sit on busses, completely in silence, engrossed in social media, when our family could be sitting only two inches away from us. This can be seen clearly as well in Mobile Lovers, as the pair are embracing, yet seem completely detached from one another. Solent says that “the mind keeps wanting to shift from whatever it is paying attention to to pay attention to something else.” Is this the cause of broken homes? Could this be what causes desolate relationships? In an article written by Andrea Cairella for the Huffington Post, she says that “Your phone begins to feel more like an appendage; if misplaced it sends you into a lost tailspin.” (Cariella, Huffington Post, 2013) It should be your significant other that begins to feel like an extra limb – something you cannot function without. However, it’s seen that the couple can clearly not survive without the phones, regardless of who’s around. They seem to pay no attention to their surroundings.
Another point made by Solnit is that “The young are disappearing down the rabbit hole of total immersion in the networked world, and struggling to get out of it.” (Solnit, 2013.) I completely agree with Solnit here. In Mobile Lovers, the two people embracing are young. The piece would not have the same meaning, or impact if the people were older. Young people have become totally immersed in technology. As mentioned earlier, it’s as if it has become part of their body. Solnit says “I now feel under-equipped if I walk out of my apartment without my mobile phone.” This is clear from the piece. The two are so close, and sharing such an intimate moment, but it’s clear that their first instinct is to check emails, texts, etc. The relationship that young people have developed with technology is out of control. It’s out of our hands at this stage. In a book written by Neil Postman, Technopoly, he says “We are a culture consuming itself with information, and many of us do not even wonder how to control the process.” (Postman, 1992, p.70) It has become so normal for young people to become so dependant on technology, that we don’t even see it as a problem anymore. The couple in Mobile Lovers clearly see no issue with what they’re doing. There’s no argument, no questioning. It’s become the norm that technology is the third wheel of the relationship. Perhaps one of the lovers has become the third wheel, and technology is the main love.
The main concern voiced by Solnit throughout the piece is her worry for the future of our generation. Solnit is curious as to how far technology will go, and she wonders how badly we will be effected by it. She notes at certain points that art is becoming the only way to fight back against technology. She says that “the young have taken up gardening and knitting and a host of other things that involve working with their hands,” and that “it’s an attempt to put the world back together again.” (Solnit, 2013) Considering the worrying future of love and relationships seen in Banksy’s work, it’s no wonder that Solnit is concerned for the future of our generation. In Mobile Lovers, the faces are so close they’re nearly touching. In most normal situations, the instinct would be to kiss your partner in front of you. However, the two are so engrossed in their technology, and the world of the web that they might not even know how close they are, and maybe they’ve lost the desire to kiss whoever’s in front of them. In an article written by Melissa Nilles for The Bottom Line, she mentions that “There’s something intangibly real and valuable about talking with someone face to face. This is significant for friends, partners, potential employers, and other recurring people that make up your everyday world.” (Nilles,2012) This is true, and it this piece by Banksy proves it even further. The contrast between that statement and the complete detachment we see in Mobile Lovers only further proves the point that we need human interaction. The blank expression on the face of those in the painting gives the onlooker an insight into the world of their bleak, desolate relationship. There seems to be no passion or joy, because there’s no face-to-face interaction.
Mobile Lovers, by Banksy, and the iPhone have a lot in common. Besides the fact that Mobile Lovers is based on a phone, the two objects share common characteristics. In Mobile Lovers, there’s a sense of detachment and isolation. Whenever an iPhone is used, there is a constant sense of detachment. Yes, you’re connecting yourself through the phone to those around you, but you’re detaching yourself from the environment you’re in. In a study conducted by Emily Drago, Elon University, she found that “An overwhelming 92% of respondents believed technology negatively affects face-to-face communication, and only 1% did not. Only 7% of respondents neither agreed nor disagreed.” (Drago, 2013). The worrying part about this is that people know that technology is ruining relationships, and nothing is being done to save it. In the same study conducted by Drago, students were asked if they were bothered by the fact that their friends and family used technology around them. “‘It bothers me when my friends or family use technology while spending time with me.’ Seventy-four percent of respondents said that they either agreed or strongly agreed with this statement, while only 6% disagreed. Among respondents, 20% neither agreed nor disagreed.” Young people are aware of the fact that technology is consuming us, and our relationships with friends and family, and they’re clearly bothered by it. Solnit had mentioned that young people are taking up “knitting and gardening” (Solnit, 2013), however, no amount of knitting is going to be able to remedy the negative effect caused by technology.
In conclusion, it’s clear that Solnit’s arguments throughout The Day of The Postman are applicable to everyday situations, objects, and art in today’s world. The