Feed by M.T. Anderson

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“…It’s like a spiral: They keep making everything more basic so it will appeal to everyone. And gradually, everyone gets used to everything being basic, so we get less and less varied as people, more simple. So the corps make everything even simpler. And it goes on and on.”

Titus starts his spring break off like most kids: a trip to the moon. While he plans on having a good time, he doesn’t plan on meeting Violet, altering the course of his simple teenage life. It is commonplace in this society to have installed in the brain and be connected to the feed. Tracking purchases, videos watched, music listened to, and general lifestyle choices, the feed analyzes everyone’s personality to further the consumerism agenda of American life, even though most people with the feed implant grow skin lesions at an alarming rate. Titus has grown up with the feed, yet Violet has not. This allows her to bring a completely different perspective on life to Titus and his friends; however, they aren’t so jive with her interpretations of the world. 

Reading Feed for a second time 10 years after the first really brought to light many new discoveries, like the fact that Clouds and School are now trademarked by corporations. With the rise of social media and online companies in current society, it’s creepy how close we are with the concepts of this novel being 100% accurate. Companies are able to suggest things we might like based on our purchases, we can chat people not just with phones but with watches now, and “improved” products are being promoted now more than ever to increase consumerism and the idea of “keeping up with the Jones.” One of my favorite quotes is when Violet says, “Because of the feed, we’re raising a nation of idiots. Ignorant, self-centered idiots.” While there is still hope for our future, this is becoming more true with every passing day. As with George Orwell’s 1984 (which this book always reminds me of), it is a scary reminder of what our world could become if we don’t put forth the effort to maintain our integrity.