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In the story of Faust, the eponymous hero makes a so-called deal with the Devil. Frustrated and ambitious, Faust agrees to take the offer of unlimited power. In return, Faust's soul will be lost and damned. The imagery is clear of course. For immediate, albeit temporary power, Faust makes the choice to be doomed rather than continue living his bounded and limited life. The Devil's temptation was too strong, and Faust too shortsighted in his hubristic dreams. I open with this allegory for its imagery, an imagery that seemingly parallels our relationship with our modern technology. By its power we will acquire greater heights of knowledge, material progress, and ease of life. Bounds that may have once chained us have withered away due to the exponential boom of technological growth. Ill-content with anything less, humanity, and Westerners in particular, have thrown themselves behind the utopian dreams that infinite technological development seemingly offers.
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Simon Mills is Senior Lecturer in New Media at De Montfort University. He has published articles in a number of academic journals, including Media, Culture and Society.
