The idea that humans are controlled by alien forces is new. Technological advances and rapid globalization has created a fear that alien forces (computers, for example) may gain indirect control over lives of people. Today, it is already hardly possible to find a person living in developed country who has never used any technology such as computers, mobile phones, washing machines, etc. The dependence on technologies is two-sided. From one side, technologies are introduced to make human life easier and more comfortable. From the other side, people lose their ability to live independently from computers. The fact that the X-Files and The Matrix tell the scary stories about the possible future, both show that humans eventually gain freedom. Thus, it is possible to state there is hope for better future.
One of the significant differences between the X-Files and The Matrix, is that X-Files emphasize the potential of alien control in the end (the warning for humankind to start thinking about the consequences of actions) while The Matrix is more optimistic as it shows how one man saves the world and restores the balance in which humans occupy the leading position. Whether or not the future is similar to the one described by the X-Files and The Matrix, people should reconsider the role played by technologies in everyday life.
While there is relative connection between globalization and alien forces, it is important to note that globalization fosters dependence on technologies and intensifies the fear of being controlled by outside sources, the ones that are not fully understandable for the human mind. There is an increasing concern, for example, on the morality of globalization which brings technologies to developing countries. Undoubtedly, there are numerous technological advances that may help poor countries overcome their poverty. Nevertheless, it creates a fear that powerful rich countries simply impose their rule to gain control throughout the world. In this regard, the United States of America is perceived as an alien force.
According to the article titled Popular Culture as Global Culture, “globalization describes what is called ‘time-space compression’: the way in which the world appears to be shrinking under the impact of new electronic media, like satellite television and the internet, which facilitates the extending of social relations across time and space. Time and space no longer dictate the range of my relationships”. In other words, globalization connects the world and makes it too small. It is possible to assume that both the X-Files and The Matrix are the results of imagination; however, they uncover the eternal struggle of humankind to confirm its position in world order.
Unlike other creatures, humans have freedom. Nevertheless, the freedom is not absolute because it is restricted by social, political and even moral factors. People do have control over the technologies; however, there is a fear that the situation may reverse in the future. In addition, the threat of alien forces (as presented in X-Files) represents the same fear of losing control or encountering something that is stronger than people are. The X-Files suggest that the threat is real or at least probable.
Neo, the main character of The Matrix, is portrayed as a modern hero, the one who liberates the oppressed humankind and opens their eyes to reality. “Standing before the grungy panoply of displays isn’t truly the moment of revelation. It is, rather, the moment in which the hero sees the simulation as nothing more (and nothing less) than what it is, recognizes the limited apparatus of what he once thought was infinite reality” (The Matrix, p. 8). In these lines, it is clear that Neo realized the true essence of reality and the true place of humans in it.
The X-Files creates the similar picture of the possible future. As Paul Canton wrote, “The X-Files often portrays the modern technological world negatively, suggesting that people are being dehumanized by the machines with which they have surrounded themselves. In particular the show presents technology as imprisoning”. In other words, The Files gives an idea that humans are becoming trapped in different forms of reality. With the major focus made on alien intrusion, Canton suggests the possibility of one common man saving the world because people want to believe in heroes and their superpowers. Finally, people want to believe they will maintain their control over alien forces and technologies in the future.
In conclusion, The Matrix and The X-Files reflect on the state of dependence on technologies and the possibility of losing control humans have over everything in the world. Even the nature is controlled by people. Nevertheless, the authors of The Matrix and The X-Files highlight that there is innate fear of losing the control. Whether or not the situations described in both movies will ever happen to the humankind, Matrix and The X-Files give us a hope that there is a hero willing to and, more important, capable of saving the world.
References
- Canton, Paul. The X-Files and the Decline of the State. Current Culture as Global Culture, chapter 8, 107-120.
- The Matrix, 7-83