Rivers Farstad

Album cover courtesy of Radiohead.

The year is 2025, and technology is involved in nearly every aspect of our lives. From the alarm app that wakes us up in the morning, to the late-night scrolling that concludes our days, we cannot seem to get enough of the very thing countless studies have deemed unhealthy. 

Nevertheless, did an album created nearly 30 years ago predict this 21st-century reality? 

On May 21, 1997, the British rock band Radiohead released their third album, OK Computer, a record that warned of alienation, overstimulation, and technology’s creeping takeover, long before the iPhone or Instagram existed. Today, those warnings sound less like lyrics on an alternative rock album and more like a prophecy. 

For students at Danbury High School (DHS), technology isn’t merely a tool—it’s the air that they breathe. 

“There’s just so much technology now, and even the school has pushed the usage of it,” said senior James McElmurry. 

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the requirement for Chromebooks and laptops, including at the elementary level, has continued to increase throughout Danbury. Many have noticed the potential of these devices, leading to a gateway opening for more personal usage. 

“I feel like without technology, I really wouldn’t have as many friends. It’s really helped me bridge the gap when meeting new people,” McElmurry added, highlighting the social positives of electronics in his life. 

Apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Discord have become keystones for enabling comfortable and easy communication for all, especially modern generations. Messaging and calling on such platforms allows for carefree expression, allowing connections to strengthen and friendships to develop, all digitally.

However, although social aspects have improved from the rise of tech, students’ increased dependence on it to socialize with others is undeniable. 

For example, last year at DHS, phone usage in classrooms had reached a peak, resulting in the district being forced to take action. When describing DHS’s new anti-phone policy, which requires students to place their phones in holders at the beginning of each class, Meagan English, a history teacher, shared her observations. 

“When kids disconnect from their phones and they have that period of time where they’re not constantly being inundated with messages from friends, [they] get a little breather because that could be stressful,” English stated. 

The concerns English sees in her classroom are the same anxieties Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, was writing about nearly 30 years ago. On “No Surprises”, Thom Yorke states:

“I’ll take a quiet life, a handshake of carbon monoxide, with no alarms and no surprises.”

Additionally, “Paranoid Android”, track 2 on the album, displays similar themes:

“Please could you stop the noise, I’m trying to get some rest.”

Through these lyrics, Yorke is airing his grievances about modern life, clearly stating he does not want the constant deluge of new things to worry about in the rising technology-obsessed age. In the late ’90s, the world was transitioning to a revolutionary period—The Information Age. As computers and laptops were shifting from a luxury to a necessity in households across the world, people began experiencing whiplash from the swift change—especially Thom Yorke. 

Yorke had spent the last 4 years in the back of a touring bus after Radiohead had become one of the most popular bands in the world with their breakout hit, “Creep”. 

Overwhelmed by sudden fame and fortune, yet feeling the world spinning out of control around him, he felt compelled to voice his growing restless thoughts. Through this, Yorke unknowingly mirrored the current feelings related to technology in 2025.

One development that was not seen in the 90s, however, was the inclusion of artificial intelligence in society and learning.

“When kids’ minds are not connected to technology, that time and space can produce creativity naturally, rather than telling technology to create for you,” English explained.

The indescribably quick emergence of AI began to take place in recent years, something that OK Computer missed by almost three decades, yet still predicted.

“For a minute there, I lost myself.” Yorke sings. 

This sentence, from the bridge of “Karma Police,” speaks volumes about AI, displaying the severity behind the words of English. When people utilize AI, or digital devices in general, to the point where they are reliant on it for all the amount of thinking or tasks they are required to do, they “lose” themselves. 

This dehumanization is what English is attempting to prevent in the classroom, with her requiring the majority of her assignments to be completed on paper—effectively distancing students from the learning threat and safeguarding their creativity. 

“I feel like technology can go extremely far, and we are getting to a point where it is going too far,” McElmurry stated. 

Students understand the importance of disconnecting from the detrimental tool, but they‘re fighting an uphill battle. Schoolwork, friends, and even their identities tie them to the internet, which only opens them up to the easy overuse of it. 

OK Computer is a cautionary tale of the tension between dependence and discomfort—it may not have predicted the creation of AI or other 21st-century inventions, but it described how people would feel when technology consumed their lives. 

The finale of the album, “The Tourist,” leaves listeners with perhaps the most powerful message one can receive when navigating life in the Information Age:

“Hey man, slow down,” Yorke belts into the microphone.

Behind the distorted guitars, crashing drums, and complex melodies, Radiohead is giving the audience one simple message. 

If we don’t slow down and appreciate the natural beauty of life, it’ll be impossible to hold onto ourselves. We weren’t built to be machines performing at 110% every second. 

“I think technology is positive in theory, but our brain is a muscle, and we need to remind ourselves of that,” English voiced. 

Ultimately, tech may define our era—but we don’t have to let it define us.