The Libraries’ Digital Dystopia exhibit introduces international works of fiction that predict dystopian consequences when the real world yields to the unreal (or virtual). Spanning more than 175 years, the books and stories selected by curator and Research Librarian for Humanities and Literature Richard Cho have inspired other important works in different mediums by writers and artists from around the globe. We asked Richard to share more about the books he selected and the thoughts driving his work on the exhibit.

What prompted you to curate an exhibit on the possible downsides of the increasing amounts of technology in our daily lives?
Richard Cho: I noticed many eateries on and around the UC Irvine campus no longer accepting cash payment, where most consumers pay by scanning their smartphones. Then I heard Sony PlayStation will stop producing physical game CDs starting in 2028, meaning all games will now be delivered digitally. Things are giving way to digital substitutes, rendering more and more physical materials obsolete, and I thought, “But aren’t humans grounded into beings via physical materials that we can touch and feel?”

Initially, the exhibit was to be centered on literary works that predicted certain future technologies. The works I chose then converged to offer a new theme because they all hinted at substitutes for the real, the tangible. The authors of the works I chose didn’t use the term “digital,” but they were clearly referring to a copy, a replica, a hologram that imitates or usurps real things.

In the 21st century, digital technology tries to implement a comprehensive system of methods that optimize efficiency across all human activities. The French sociologist Jacques Ellul calls this “the pervasive influence of ‘technique’ in modern life.” There are clearly benefits to efficiency and convenience, but I wanted to explore the question, what do we lose in the process of incessant digitalization?

What's been your favorite part about being a curator?
Cho: That I was able to select and revisit my favorite works of fiction for more nuanced interpretation. I gained a deeper understanding of the works, and this in turn taught me to weigh in more carefully between digital and analog methods in my daily dealings. In addition, I loved the collaborative aspect of the exhibition project, working intimately with the Libraries’ exhibit designers and communications staff to bring the exhibit to life.

The selection of stories and works in the exhibit includes authors and creators from around the world. What drew you to such distinctly diverse voices?
Cho: It wasn't my intention, at least in the beginning, to select authors from different parts of the continent. I read omnivorously, and around 80% of the fiction I read is translated into English. Whether the author is from Europe, America, or Asia, whether the works are from 1850 or 2000, I could sense from the feeling of shared humanity, that there is such a thing as an unchanging human essence. Most of the stories chosen for this exhibition end in tragedy, mainly due to a loss of grounding in reality. Digital reality is not reality, it is a mere imitation, and human beings need a solid ground to stand on.

What do you hope that visitors will take away from the exhibit?
Cho: Despite all the conveniences, immersive experiences, and efficiency that digital technology offers, I hope visitors take a moment to assess what they are giving up. Yes, ChatGPT might complete your assignment in one-fifth of the time you used to spend on it, but how much learning and enlightening might you have missed? Society may demand acceleration in all our tasks, but we can ponder, contemplate, and reflect only in repose. Steeped in the digital realm for most of the hours of the day, we lose focus, patience, tolerance, compassion, and other traits indispensable for human relationships.

You reread all these books while researching this exhibit. Did anything new jump out for you that made you change your original ideas?
Cho: What surprised me on my second reading was the extent to which these stories seeded other stories by different artists. My research yielded a number of “inspired” works from these original stories, but the traces are felt in far more numerous stories, including works by Edgar Allan Poe, H.G. Wells, Shirley Jackson, Neal Stephenson, and other modern horror and sci-fi writers. The four authors presented in this exhibition – E.T.A. Hoffmann, who wrote The Sandman (1816); Jorge Luis Borges, who wrote “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” (1940); Adolfo Bioy Casares, who wrote The Invention of Morel (1940); and Yoko Ogawa, who wrote The Memory Police (1994) – are true visionaries, whose insights and timeless wisdom will continue to engage readers and inspire future works.

What “old” things do you miss the most that technology displaced?
Cho: I miss “burning” a mix CD of songs I find experimental and exciting and then giving it as a gift to friends and family for them to play in their car or in their bedroom. True, you can still build a favorites list in iTunes or Spotify and share it digitally with your friends, but it just feels different. There was a certain labor of love involved with filling a blank CD with songs and handing it to a friend, with a list of songs written on the front cover. Sharing it digitally is just too easy, only one click away, and I wonder how much of your feeling of affection is conveyed by pressing on a screen on your phone.

The Digital Dystopia exhibit will be on display on the second floor of the Science Library through January 2027 during regular library hours. Visit the exhibits.lib.uci.edu for more details.