When technology is too much...or missing. A commentary on two videos.

Description

This video is structured around two main narrative voices and a character illustrating what the voice-over says while a singer often merely repeats or comments on what's just been said (as in a Greek chorus).

The setting is a Christian home and church and an office, so this particular context is very meaningful, making us understand that most of his life is conditionned by technology.

We can notice on various occasions that the main character is addicted to high-technology products, mostly smartphones.

He is shown as a family man unable to communicate with his wife, except through texting.

He is also shown as a church-goer incapable of attending worship without all his phones vibrating all the time, disturbing everyone around him and making him look like he's full of the holy spirit.

Finally, he is depicted as a computer geek whose life has become extremely complicated instead of having been simplified.His addiction to technology is also shown at the office where he is doing at least six things at the same time, none of them actual work.

Interpretation

Basically, this video means that high technology has become a religion for many people, even Christians who are not supposed to be materialistic.

Then, in a Christian lifestyle, quite a few church-goers and believers tend to focus more on materialistic issues rather than spiritual ones.

We can add that technology reigns supreme for many people who revere it as a God enlightening his followers.

 Also people will spend their life looking at a screen instead of actually living something real. The video might be humorous superficially but it is more than anything else a warning against the excessive use of new technologies.

The question is, is this a real progress for humankind?

Description

Two people are stuck on an escalator in a place that seems literally empty/deserted. The man looks upset/annoyed. He might be an office worker walking to his job. The woman claims that she is already late, so for her, this is the last straw. At one point, she ('s about to cry and) asks for a phone. As none of them have one, he screams for help but no one answers, then she screams for help without a response. In short, they both look helpless, clueless, powerless and even hopeless. There is a second part of the video that doesnt appear here where a technician comes to fix the problem, takes the escalator and gets stuck too.

 

Interpretation

 We can relate this situation to a fairly common one in real life : getting stuck in an elevator. The difference however, is  that in this situation, people have the right to panic/freak out/feel panicky whereas on an escalator, there is no reason whatsoever to be scared. It can also be a reference to Buñuel's Exterminating angel, where people are stuck in an open room for no apparent reason. this video is a good example of humour of the absurd.

This video points out the increasing dependence of human beings on technology (we can think of calculators). If it goes missing, it is as if a crutch had been taken away from them, so these two people cannot even walk up the stairs, which would be the normal thing to do. We could think that technological progress makes humans lazy or at least less prone to take initiative and think by themselves, less inclined to make efforts.