The Dark Future of Digital Lifestyle: Drawbacks of Technological Determinism in Ray Bradbury’s Short Stories

Abstract

Ray Bradbury's science fiction stories are cautionary tales that highlight the potential harms of technology if not used responsibly. They emphasize technology's inherent risks, necessitating prudent handling and ethical consideration. Bradbury skillfully portrays how the world will be like years ahead with unconstrained technological advancement. The study provides a close examination of how Ray Bradbury’s science fiction short stories reveal his negative perspectives on technological determinism. Mankind, without a thought to the future, is blindly giving itself over to the power of technology, a surrender to its influence without regard for consequences. The study also mirrors Bradbury’s prediction of a bleak future, when technology's seductive ease will steer mankind toward a future of willing submission, a future where convenience dictates the path of humanity by focusing on the exploration of such themes as technology misshaping familial connections in his “The Veldt” and “Marionettes, Inc”, dehumanization in “The Pedestrian” and “The Murderer”, and the catastrophic impact of technological autonomy in “There will Come Soft Rains” and “A Sound of Thunder”, all resulting from humanity’s excessive reliance on technology, beside its overconfidence in its own creation that will end in its downfall.