Abstract Book of the 8th International Conference on Advanced Research in Social Sciences Studies
Year: 2025
DOI:
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Wandering Alone in the Digital Age: Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian” and the Decline of Human Connection
Assist. Prof. Dr. Shokhan Mohammed Fatah
ABSTRACT:
In a world where technology has advanced far more than human imagination ever could, Ray Bradbury depicts a blockaded future in his short story “The Pedestrian.” Modern society is oppressed by the digital space, existing alone in a virtual reality, severed from all meaningful touch with life. This study focuses on Bradbury’s portrayal of Leonard Mead, a lone suffering in a socialized world, and his relevance with modern society’s extreme dehumanization, social disconnection, and an all-encompassing digital era. This study unveils the dystopian futuristic society which lacks human interaction, highlighting the parallel that serves as a critique for the contemporary world and the advancement in technology. The paper discusses how “The Pedestrian” offers a profound vision that serves as a warning for an age where the progress of technology obliterates all social bonds and relationships. Regarding the methodology, this research focuses on accurate textual interpretation of Bradbury’s work, how he uses figurative language to highlight the effects of technology over society. Besides, the paper also takes a social comparative method by linking the constructed fictional universe of the story and some present-day phenomenon like social media, decline and privatization of public space, and digital recluse. This analysis puts “The Pedestrian” in the context of modern-day technological changes and demonstrates how the work serves as a critique of contemporary society.
Keywords: dystopia, isolation, Ray Bradbury, social critique, technology