Moby Dick helps us
understand digital culture because it deals with a vast array of themes that
have only become more pertinent and important in the digital age. One such
theme is that of fixation. In the digital age, it’s easier than ever to get wrapped
up in just one interest as it is easier than ever to find massive amounts of
content on that topic. This has caused problems in several ways, perhaps most prominently
with videogame addiction, fandoms, and social media and other forms of digital
communication that take a lot of time and energy to keep up with.
Moby Dick teaches us of the dangers of
obsessive fixation, but also explores the psychology of it in realistic ways
that could help us understand the mindset of those who become too fixated on
the digital world and begin to neglect the real world. Also, it helps to show
the merits of fixation as well that can easily go overlooked. For instance,
Ahab was certainly crazed, but he also created a strong sense of community and
brought different kinds of people together for a single cause. Obviously, Ahab’s
methods and reasons were wrong, but that doesn’t mean that passionate interest
can’t also lead to a strong sense of community among a diverse group of people.
Moby Dick shows both sides of this coin,
and both obsessive fixation and healthy passion have only become more important
in the digital age as new technologies provide greater connectivity and
greater access to content and people than ever before, raising both opportunity
and danger.
Literature and art have always instructed humanity on how to live,
and Moby Dick proves that they will
continue to do so in important and powerful ways that expand people’s perspectives
and open their minds to the broader world around them. In some ways, you might
say that Moby Dick is more important in the digital age than
ever before, and its study has only become more important. Moby Dick can and should be applied to aspects of digital culture
whenever it is taught.
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