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The Way Technology Transforms Us

The New Yorker is a weekly magazine that leans more towards the liberal side. Throughout the years and as the New Yorker publishes their weekly issues, many of the written pieces are accompanied by cover art and illustrations. In this case, the focus of this post is going to be directly on one piece by Cristoph Niemann, titled "Evolution".


In this piece by Cristoph Niemann, we see 4 different quadrants, all including the same man in each quadrant. In the top left quadrant, we see him staring at a large machine of some sort with various amenities and what appears to be a bright, large screen. In the second (top right) quadrant, the same man is slightly hunched over and looked into a slightly smaller but still large bright screen. The machine in this quadrant is still large, but has far less amenities and is slightly smaller than the machine in the first quadrant. In both of these quadrants, there is a plug connected to an outlet in the wall, and such outlet presumably leads to the back of the machines, allowing them to function and be powered on. In the third quadrant (bottom left), we now see the man standing but staring at a significantly smaller screen of what appears to be a laptop. The laptop is also plugged into the wall, allowing it to function and be powered on. The last quadrant (bottom right) is interesting. There is no longer a machine the man is staring at, and he seems to have an eerie glow to him. The plug that is attached to the wall is connected to the man. We can assume that the man himself is the machine, especially by the bright glow his skin gives off, and he is being powered by the outlet in the wall plugging into himself.

A repetitive factor we see portrayed in the illustration is the idea of the plug being an outlet or source for the machines, and eventually for the man. It is as though the plug becomes his life line and powers him on, in the same way that it does for the other 3 machines in the other 3 quadrants. As the name of the piece suggests, it appears as though as the quadrants progress, the machines continue to evolve or change until ultimately the man is no different from the machines, because he too requires the plug for power.

As it appears also, the piece was published September 30th, 2019, which is very modern and not that long ago. We are living in an age where technology is rapidly advancing, expanding, and evolving. Many people in this age depend on their phones and electronics as though they are their metaphorical lifeline, in the same way that the man appears to be plugged into the wall. People in the modern day are constantly needing to be plugged into something, whether it be a laptop, phone, TV, etc. The cover suggests the readers of The New Yorker, as well as New Yorkers themselves, are very invested in, and “plugged in” to their electronics. The article also seems to represent how readers of the magazine and New Yorkers themselves are experiencing the effects of technological advancements of modern-day society. The author seems to take on a neutral perspective regarding the evolution of technology, however, he places great emphasis on the idiom regarding people being “plugged in”, by illustrating a man who is quite literally plugged into the wall, appearing to be functioning due to his connection to the outlet.

Ultimately, the cover suggests the readers of The New Yorker, as well as New Yorkers themselves are very invested in, and “plugged in” to their electronics. It also seems to represent how readers of the magazine and New Yorkers themselves are experiencing the effects of technological advancements of modern day society.

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