Technology and its Creation of a “Dystopian Society"

Technology has created a “dystopian society” where humans essentially turn into robots and the robots exhibit human characteristics. Dystopia in WALL-E is depicted through imagery of the polluted state of Earth. In the absence of the human’s ability to use technology to correct their actions, the robots, namely WALL-E, use their developed human-like tendencies to bring humans back to reality. The humans on the Axiom are detached from nature and are living through the illusion of a utopia. The dystopian society depicted in WALL-E portrays an empty shell of society managed by artificial intelligence.

Dystopia in WALL-E is depicted through imagery of the arid state of Earth. The opening scene shows images of untouched stars and galaxies and then zooms in on Earth in its polluted state. This scene captures the viewer's attention through relating the current state of the world to a dystopian perception of Earth in the future. The preceding scenes relate to the viewers by showing dust storms and collapsed buildings which are signs of global warming and natural disasters.  The extreme level of pollution is depicted through the toxic air and the piles of garbage that are taller than skyscrapers. In WALL-E’s task to clean up Earth, he developed human-like characteristics which later returned the humans to nature.

The solution to the unsustainable living conditions on Earth was to develop more sophisticated technology, which ironically further removes the humans from reality. The humans are the product of centuries of reliance on technology and exposure to unearthly conditions. WALL-E, on the other hand, portrays human-like characteristics such as love and curiosity, having angular and classic mechanical features. The humans in this film possess the realistic characteristics of robots, whereas the robots have actually developed realistic human qualities. WALL-E uses these qualities to create awareness of humans underlying attachment to nature. (Corrigan, 2004)

The humans in this film follow a set of absolute rules which make them completely unaware of their surroundings. This film is an in media res type in which the human characters have all been born into this “ideal” setting in which everything is automatic. The values that they hold are limited to the technology that they use. To keep the ship operating efficiently, all characters are required to obey the rules. Because this technology is convenient and all that they are conditioned to, the humans have become amputated from their surroundings and ignorant of nature.

The depiction of what Earth and society has become in WALL-E is portrayed in the viewer’s mind as comparable to modern day concerns. The dust storms are similar to frequent tornadoes and the extent of pollution is tantamount to our overflowing landfills. The human characters in this film begin with ignorance and are saved by the human-like attributes portrayed by the archaic robot, WALL-E. With technologies helping society with day to day tasks, humans are becoming detached from basic societal functions. The movie WALL-E effectively shows the feared dystopian society through visual and audible mediums.