Character vs Technology

Rosemi Mederos: 00:01

If you have plot bunnies coming out of your plot holes, it’s time for a writing break.

Hello again. I hope you are making the most of Banned Books Week. I’ve missed talking to you. A couple of you reached out to see how I was doing. I am surprised and moved by your concern. I’m doing well, even if I’m doing too much. For those who don’t know, my company also produces independent films from time to time, and our latest film is just about ready to release into the wild world of film festivals. That’s just one of a handful of things keeping me out of the recording studio. I don’t like it, but there it is. As I record this, a hurricane is sideswiping my city, so if the power stays on, we’ll continue our literary conflict series and discuss, aptly enough, Character versus Technology. We’re also catching up on the Internet Archive court case. The Writing Break cafe is open, so let’s grab a table and settle in.

nned copies. In the summer of: 2020

The publishers’ main claim was that the unauthorized scanning of the books is copyright infringement. The Internet Archive’s main defense was that they are a library lending books to its patrons.

As we discussed earlier this year, a judge ruled in favor of the publishing houses, and a US district court approved a permanent injunction that prevented the Internet Archive from lending out digital copies of books that have commercially available ebook editions. The injunction did not apply to books that do not have ebook editions.

The Internet Archive appealed, and this month an appeals court upheld that ruling and then some. The courts said scanning books and making them available online is the same as copying them, and that is not fair use. The courts also rejected the Internet Archive's "controlled digital lending" idea. This was a set of rules they followed to try to make their scanning legal. For example, there were time limits on the borrowing of the books. But the court said those rules do not change the fact that they are copying books without permission.

So, what does this mean for authors? It means that the Internet Archive cannot keep scanning and lending out their books without permission. If they do, they could face lawsuits and have to pay damages.

The Authors Guild has provided authors with clear instructions on how to get their books off of the Internet Archive. Check the show notes for a link to that.

Now, let’s head to the Overthinking Couch to discuss Character vs Technology.

Character vs Technology is the sixth literary conflict in our seven-part series. The clash of human and machine can appear in any genre. However, if it is the main literary conflict of your book, chances are you are writing science fiction.

It is the differences between the characters and the technology that drive this conflict. First, there’s the organic nature of your characters versus the inorganic nature of technology.

This leads us to adaptability and limitations. Organic characters can adapt to new situations and learn from experiences, while technology might have limitations or require updates to function effectively in different environments. The flip side of that is when the machine seems to be learning, and the humans struggle to keep up.

There’s also emotion and reason. Characters are typically driven by emotions, desires, and personal experiences. Technology, on the other hand, is often portrayed as logical and objective, operating according to its programming and available data.

Then there’s free will and determinism. Your characters likely possess free will, making choices based on their own judgment, whereas technology may be programmed with autonomy but is still subject to the limitations of its programming.

To keep it simple, let’s suppose your characters are human. Humans create and use tools to improve their chances of survival and enhance their quality of life. Technology is invented as tools that will benefit humanity. This includes all machines and computational devices. Character vs technology conflicts ask the reader to imagine technology doing what humans do not want it to do. The conflict between character and technology often arises when technology poses a threat to your characters’ existence, values, or way of life. This can manifest in various forms:

There’s rebellion. For example, AI or machines become sentient and rebel against their human creators. This leads to a struggle for control that is quite compelling when written well.

There’s also dependence. What if humans become too reliant on technology, leading to a loss of autonomy or human skills? This can lead to existential crises and interesting philosophical explorations about what it means to be human. One thing I like in these stories is when some of the humans make interesting arguments in favor of technology dependence.

And, of course, there are ethical dilemmas. The use of technology can raise ethical questions, especially in regards to the creation of artificial life or the manipulation of information.

There are famous high-concept stories that tackle character vs technology, such as Frankenstein, Blade Runner, The Terminator, and Neuromancer. But this conflict can also appear in stories that take place around the Industrial Revolution or in modern times with our current AI Revolution. Moving from handmade clothing to machine made clothing, for example, left a lot of talented people at a loss that affected them economically and spiritually. Being a good tailor or seamstress meant that you dedicated your life to this trade and spent a considerable amount of hours straining your eyes in the name of perfecting your craft. Similarly, scores of skilled artists are experiencing this right now as the world moves from handmade art to AI-generated art, and as OpenAI moves from nonprofit to for-profit. This is a topic that can make you famous. We don’t yet have a world-class novel on the perils of AI-generated art.

Can you write a story about this and relate it to the nature of humanity, the limits of technology, and the potential consequences of our technological advancements? Why not give it a shot?

Next week we discuss the final literary conflict: Character vs Destiny. Until then, thank you so much for listening and for your patience. Sorry to have kept you waiting, it’s not like me at all to do so. My apologies. And remember, you deserved this break.

If you would like us to visit your favorite independent bookstore, feature your favorite independent author (even if it’s you), or discuss something you’re overthinking about, please email me at podcast@writingbreak.com.

Thank you for making space in your mind for The Muse today.

Writing Break is hosted by America’s Editor and produced by Allon Media with technical direction by Gus Aviles. Visit us at writingbreak.com or contact us at podcast@writingbreak.com.