Shteyngart's tracking device and the NSA

In Super Sad True Love Story, Shteyngart presents emerging technology primarily as a way to keep track of other people and the things they are doing or thinking about. This is evident when Lenny wonders what Eunice is doing while he is at work. He states “I did the same, pretending it was something serious and work-related, but really I was just GlobalTracing Eunice’s location. She was as always, at 575 Grand Street, Apt. E-607, my home, deep into her own äppärät…” This quote clarifies that Lenny can discover Eunice’s whereabouts at any time. The phrase “as always” implies that he has done this before. Lenny can also tell that Eunice is on her own äppärät just by tracing her. Therefore, Shteyngart’s device also allows a user to know what other users are doing.

Shteyngart also presents the idea that the tracking technology is being used by the government. For instance, when Vishnu speaks to Lenny about his concerns that Noah is part of the ARA, he demands that Lenny turn off his äppärät. Vishnu is especially worried about the government listening to Noah’s show, warning Lenny “…watch what you say around him. Especially when he’s streaming his show.” Vishnu’s calm reaction to the idea that his good friend may be working for a dangerous government suggests that this is a common occurrence. Shteyngart uses this small portion of the novel to suggest that the government is present even in conversations between friends, and that this is due to the constant presence of technology.

The article “Edward Snowden, NSA files source ‘If they want to get you, in time they will’” outlines a question and answer session during which Snowden clarifies his accusation about the United States government using technology in exactly the ways that Shteyngart implies in Super Sad True Love Story. Snowden begins his first answer by stating “The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything.” He continues by announcing that if he wished to, he could even get private information such as passwords and credit cards. The way that Snowden describes the technology being used by the NSA, when he says “Once you go onto the network, I can identify your machine,” is stunningly similar to the idea that Shteyngart presents about knowing what other äppärät users are doing.

While I am almost constantly using some form of technology, I believe I rarely use it to keep track of others. However, I do believe that some of the technology that I use can be used as a tracking device. For instance, members of Facebook often post their location when they are someplace special. I have noticed that these posts are becoming increasingly more common, and the places less interesting. I could understand how in the future Facebook may develop into a technology regularly used to track others. Much of the emerging technology that I use could eventually develop into the all-knowing, ever-present äppärät in the Shteyngart’s novel Super Sad True Love Story.