WALL-e

Well I watched WALL-e for the second time so I could have a fresher view of the movie. After watching this movie with a critical eye, I noticed many complex social structures taking place.

The robots in this movie take on the traits of a human persona, but they are severely limited in their communication. They use non-verbal communication much more than oral communication. I'd estimate a total of six "English" words are said throughout the movie by the robots. However, this doesn't detract from the understanding of the messages being transmitted. For example, when WALLe brings EVE to his home, he shows her his trinkets he's collected over the years, he performs a dance for her, and he tries to hold her hand. Many things are being communicated but not said.

I think something to take from this is how the most basic messages can be understood universally. It makes sense that any advanced civilization that has the capacity for cybercommunication, would have a social structure. As part of that social structure, I'm sure the concept of sharing or giving is present. If so, the physical action of passing an object to someone can be universally defined. It would be prudent then to theorize that there are messages that can be communicated without the presence of language. Of course then you could argue the definition of language and its scope, but that falls into a grey area.

Another interesting area to comment on is the deteroiation of the English language by the Axiom crew. The Captain of the Axiom spent a large amount of time learning simple words he had never heard before, such as Dancing or Farming. The entire culture aboard the ship promotes minimalized human interactions. Not until they were knocked out of their seats did they see the people around them. Even later in the movie, it's referenced that some people didn't even know they had a swimming pool. The inhabitants of the ship rely on cybercommunication for everything. It leads their lives for them. People were no longer using techonology as a productivity booster; instead it had turned into a fantasy land in which to retreat from everyday responsibilities.

There are some pro's to this advanced technology. The Axiom is supremely organized and efficient with it's powergrid "lanes" present throughout the ship. Everyday civil service jobs are fuflfilled by robots, allowing a "motivated" society to perform efficiently in a fast-paced environment.

Overall a decent movie, and an interesting take on a possible future reality.