Technological Regulations in the World of Autonomous

Abstract

The paper explores the influence exerted by technology at the individual and societal level, discernible in the novel Autonomous, authored by Annalee Newitz. Autonomous features a technologically advanced society comprising robots and humans who live together in relative harmony. While technology is present throughout the narrative fabric of the novel, its depiction is not just limited to an accessory but as an extension of a person. Individuals connect to the world around them with the help of technology, making it responsible for the formation of individual subjectivity. There is an impact on society as well, resulting in a curious, paradoxical mix of posthumanism, transhumanism and humanism. This paper explores the aforementioned aspects using the concepts of micro and macro perception of the technological medium as described by Richard S. Lewis in his book Technology, Media Literacy, and the Human Subject: A Posthuman Approach. Based on the two approaches, the paper aims to determine the role played by technology in the constitution of a subject and how it shapes the culture of the society depicted in the novel.