Abstract
Technology influences our lives tremendously. Ashistory progresses, it seems that human beings depend moreand more on it. Originally, the concept of technologyreferred to instruments that merely assist human beings;however, in the modern age, it is difficult to tell whethertechnology or humans are in control of society or humanlife. In this thesis, the ideas of modern thinkers likeMartin Heidegger, Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, aswell as those of contemporary critics like Jacques Elluland Gunther Anders’s will be examined to understand whatexactly is happening to the world and what humans can do toattempt to find ways out of the technological society.Along with these theoretical approaches, the Canadiandirector David Cronenberg’s three films, The Fly,Videodrome, and eXistenZ, as the representation of lineartechnological development will be considered to see howtechnology intrudes on human beings and how humans arecaught in technology helplessly. It is throughCronenbergian films that viewers are able to obtain newpoints of view to question the existence value oftechnology. In Chapter One “Introduction,” the overall structureof and critical literature on the three films arediscussed. The reason why I choose Cronenberg’s films andthe comments other critics make to the director areintroduced here in the first part. The second partsummarizes the critics’ concepts of technology in order toframe the basic question of the essence, characteristics,and impact of technology. In addition, the concept ofauteurism and of genre criticism are introduced as toolsfor understanding Cronenberg’s films. Chapter Two “David Cronenberg and His Films”introduces the characteristics of the director and hisfilms in detail for readers to know the reason makes hisfilms worth discussing. The first part focuses onCronenberg’s own philosophical ideas, while the secondpart discusses the special genre he adopts, “horror inscience fiction”. In Chapter Three “Theoretical Backgound,” attemptsto understand technology more completely. Its essence andcharacteristics are introduced as the first part; then, itstremendous danger to human beings is also discussed, inorder to understand more completely how technology affectspeople. The third section provides a solution to humansfor how to face their predicament in a technologicalculture. Chapter Four “The Convergence between Humans andTechnological Machines,” discusses how the machines andthe heroes in the three films turn into each othergradually. Machines become more organic with more power,while humans like to be technologized without anyconsciousness of getting weaker. Chapter Five “The Impacts that Technology Brings toHuman Beings” is the case study on the heroes in the threefilms. Under the technological invasion, the heroes haveless and less power to think, to control themselves, and toknow themselves. To the third film, the heroes are unableto escape the fate of being trapped in technology. However, humans still possess a chance to fightagainst the restraint from technology: through the works ofart, humans can reflect and question technology.