Though a tad predictable, I though this is the title Adam Curtis should have given to his latest three-part documentary (aired in May on BBC). Instead, he opted for the faux poetic ”All Watched over by Machines of Loving Grace.” On second thought, Curtis’s choice does seem to convey a larger, poetic truth. Those eight words ring with such piercing absurdity that it is difficult to imagine they were strung together by a living, breathing human being.
In fact, that part is debatable. Curtis clipped the “machines of loving grace” word sequence from a 1960s utopian manifesto assembled by an early computer geek. Even Siri, who is reputedly capable of spitting back sarcastic remarks, would do better if asked to compose a haiku. Curiously, the current version of the proto-cyborgs Curtis depicts are perhaps vaguely aware of the Faustian aspects of the technology they fiddle with. While seeking to shape a generation of digital consumers who will soon clamor for the first run of brain implants allowing incessant mental browsing of the web, they often seek to protect their own kids from the world they tirelessly work to turn into “reality” (in the most literal sense). This paradox is nicely captured by two recent articles in the NYT: “Screen Time Higher Than Ever for Children,” and “A Silicon Valley School That Doen’t Compute.” The first piece summarizes the findings of a new study, the first of its kind after the explosive proliferation of touchscreens and apps (many specially targeting toddlers and even babies). According to the second article, low-tech Waldorf schools in and around Silicon Valley are now teeming with the offspring of IT executives and engineers.
