Before really getting into the book, I honestly did not understand Neuromancer. I had trouble grasping the point and thinking about what author William Gibson struggled to portray.
After reading and having time to reflect on Neuromancer, I began to understand it’s purpose. It is 2016: everyone uses the Internet. Almost all of our generation has some sort of smartphone, which is basically a mini portable version of accessing the World Wide Web in seconds. We have the Internet at our fingertips. While reading Neuromancer, I began to imagine a world without the Internet. I began to realize that the very idea of the web is certainly new, and unimaginable for generations before us. I remember learning how to surf the web on my father’s chunky computer running Windows ’96. I thought the sole purpose of the machine was to be able to use “paint” and to change the wallpaper of the desktop. Reflecting on the advancement of technology while I was growing up, I cannot imagine living in a world where I wouldn’t be able to write a paper and right click a word for synonyms. Reading Neuromancer has truly opened my eyes to how much I owe my success and growth in education to the Internet.
Interestingly enough, my favorite quote from the novel has to be:
“Aside from the huge pair of sunglasses concealing her mirrored insets, [Molly] managed to look remarkably like she belonged there, another tourist girl hoping for a glimpse of Tally Isham. She wore a pink plastic, a white mesh top, loose white pants cut in a style that had been fashionable in Tokyo the previous year.” (4.53)
Another favorite quote from the novel is, “Unlike my brother. I create my own personality. Personality is my medium.” (23.54)
I thought this was very interesting because people tend to judge each other’s identity, either online or in person, vert quickly and artificially. Whether we like it or not, we make quick judgments at first glance, even if we try not to. It is human. As a result of this, I believe the quote is trying to explain how we process someone’s identity. For example, I know that if I view someone’s Instagram who has 16-55 likes on a photo they posted, I do not think highly of them. However, basing someone’s popularity or self worth based on the number of followers or likes on their social media does not correlate to their identity in person. Our online presence versus real world personalities are sometimes combined, thanks to the ever growing use of social media. It is important to realize our self worth beyond our online accounts.
As I kept reading the novel, I began to praise it. Neuromancer raises many questions regarding the advancements, and our use, of today’s technology. Furthermore, the novel does a remarkable, yet debatable outlook on new technological inventions.
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