This suggests that technology (like soma), such as our phones, are not only influencing us to avoid facing real problems, but are inherently causing us more problems.

Dreher also cites Jean Twenge who says that in the next ten years, as people forget how to interact with other people, we may see more adults who “know the right emoji for a situation, but not the right facial expression.” And to make matters worse, we will see more people who are likely to experience depression, anxiety, or malaise. He argues that our inability to live without smartphones makes it more difficult to pay attention, to think in a meaningful way, or to deeply engage with others on an emotional level. The result is that people are becoming less human. Rod Dreher writes that smartphones are creating a society that is “radically atomized”, where people do not know a world without the internet. All of these outlets, although different, are turning us into machines. Others of us may glue ourselves to our smartphones in order to shut out the possibility of human interaction. Like soma, some of us may take antidepressants to make ourselves feel better, or may binge drink on Friday and Saturday nights in an effort to drown out the prior week’s worries. In today’s machine age, our consumption of technology has the same impact. The people are addicted and simply cannot live their lives without it. Soma allows everyone in the brave new world to avoid facing real problems.

Soma renders humans as machines that are completely devoid of emotions and rational thought and thus, represents the powerful influence of science and technology on society. In a world that creates life from test tubes, soma seems like it is pretty fictitious and has no real consequences.

Emotions and experiences that people don’t want get replaced with a sense of happiness and overall wellbeing. If anyone is unhappy, they can simply pop a soma: a government-provided drug that is “Euphoric, narcotic, and pleasantly hallucinant.” Huxley writes, “Take a holiday from reality whenever you like, and come back without so much a headache”, as soma has “All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol, but none of their defects.” Soma essentially creates a fake fantasy- an escape from reality for members of this controlled state. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World depicts a society that is based on keeping everyone happy.

Preventing a brave new world summary