Can Humans Become One With Machine?

Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” proved to be an interesting and informative read for various reasons.  In his article McCloud unpacks abstract concepts hoping to help his audience better understand the difference between pictures and icons.  By using visual illustrations McCloud is able to give readers a better understanding of what is being explained in his writing.

One aspect of McCloud’s writing that struck me as particularly interesting was the  concept of non-visual awareness, “when people interact with inanimate objects” (McCloud 38), or when a person describes an object as part of themselves.  One example provided by McCloud was that the operator of a machine such as a car claims to become one with thus car when driving or interacting with it.  Such an occurrence has led me to wonder if it is possible for man and machine to interact with each other on varying levels of depth.  As humans become more and more dependent on technology in our daily lives, could we in fact become one with machine?  By forming a visual example of my own I hope to answer this question.

Take for example two students interacting with their bicycles.  Student A is anything but wealthy and is not able to afford a car, he received his bicycle as a Christmas present from his favorite uncle thus causing the bike to have some level of sentimental value.  Student B on the other hand is a well off boy who was given a brand new bike from Wal-Mart by his mom and dad before school began so that he could have a secondary mode of transportation.  As the two students went off to college their connections with the bikes greatly differed.  Student A used his bike to get everywhere as it was his only means of transportation.  The time he spent riding his bike only helped him become more familiar with the way the bike handled and rode.  As student A’s bike grew older and broke he had learn to repair it which resulted in him using up his precious resources, time (the time he spent diagnosing the issue, time spent learning how to repair the issue and time spent repairing the issue) and money (the money he spent on the tools needed to repair the bicycle and the parts needed to repair the bicycle).  Student B on the other hand typically drove his car to class, his bike was used but usually only when the weather was nice or if there was an abnormal amount of traffic.  When student B’s bike would break he would take it to the bike shop, have the repairs billed to his parents credit card then go on his way.  The time, money and sentimental value that Student A spent on his bike helped him to form a sense of unity with his machine.  Rather than an appliance that was there for leisure or convenience, this bike became a necessary part of Student A’s life, without it he would have been late for school or unable to shop for groceries.

The contrast that is revealed when analyzing two different situations help to prove how great of an impact machines can have on humans. The factors that cause someone to become close with an inanimate object can have a profound impact on the relationship a person has when interacting with said object.  Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” did a good job of unpacking this tough subject, the visual's used to communicate the text helped to turn this abstract concept into something that can be better interpreted and understood.

McCloud, Scott. “The Vocabulary of Comics.” In Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New      York: Harper Collins, 1994. 24-45.