It's all over the place! Like Carr, I strongly believe I've become increasingly unfocused and unable to submerge myself in and retain detailed information. The media is supplying my "stuff of thought" while simultaneously shaping my thought process. Google isn't making us stupid, its aiding in our development of Attention Deficit (sometimes Hyperactivity) Disorder.
Just as I sat down to write this blog I checked my email, The New York Times for a "quick" overview of world news, and Wikipedia to see what there was to be said about "culture". Each of these pages, filled with links to other pages, distracted me for far longer than I had anticipated. Ultimately, I suppose, allowing me to narrow my blog down to this: I am easily distracted and I don't think it's just "the way I am". My constant exposure to various forms of media have shaped and reshaped the way that I think. I would argue it is inescapable. "It" being the media- the various medium used to transfer information. If we are not bombarded by images through one medium, its another. Television, radio, magazines, newspapers, the internet, billboards. We are surrounded by these channels of information strategically produced to capture our attention. And yes, I do believe our attention must be "captured". Advertising specialists are aware that if one commercial does not achieve this, another will. The hope is that flashing lights, strong language, dramatic effects and funny slogans are the things we will ultimately pay attention to and commit to memory. So much are we affected by these techniques that lengthy, detailed, and difficult books and articles have become quite hard to focus on and often undesirable tasks to be completed.
I do not believe we are less knowledgeable. Our generation is not escaping information. As we become more technologically advanced, we have access to more than ever before. We are also at greater risk though. At risk of being misguided, deceived, of not recognizing propaganda, not looking to understand all "sides". We fall victim to the politics of fear, standards of beauty, gender expectations. If we are not critical of the constant media images and information we are exposed to, we are malleable "subjects" without opinions that are our own.
The ever changing techniques of the media have not made us"stupid", I would agree with Carr though that they have greatly effected the ways we receive and process that information.
Just as I sat down to write this blog I checked my email, The New York Times for a "quick" overview of world news, and Wikipedia to see what there was to be said about "culture". Each of these pages, filled with links to other pages, distracted me for far longer than I had anticipated. Ultimately, I suppose, allowing me to narrow my blog down to this: I am easily distracted and I don't think it's just "the way I am". My constant exposure to various forms of media have shaped and reshaped the way that I think. I would argue it is inescapable. "It" being the media- the various medium used to transfer information. If we are not bombarded by images through one medium, its another. Television, radio, magazines, newspapers, the internet, billboards. We are surrounded by these channels of information strategically produced to capture our attention. And yes, I do believe our attention must be "captured". Advertising specialists are aware that if one commercial does not achieve this, another will. The hope is that flashing lights, strong language, dramatic effects and funny slogans are the things we will ultimately pay attention to and commit to memory. So much are we affected by these techniques that lengthy, detailed, and difficult books and articles have become quite hard to focus on and often undesirable tasks to be completed.
I do not believe we are less knowledgeable. Our generation is not escaping information. As we become more technologically advanced, we have access to more than ever before. We are also at greater risk though. At risk of being misguided, deceived, of not recognizing propaganda, not looking to understand all "sides". We fall victim to the politics of fear, standards of beauty, gender expectations. If we are not critical of the constant media images and information we are exposed to, we are malleable "subjects" without opinions that are our own.
The ever changing techniques of the media have not made us"stupid", I would agree with Carr though that they have greatly effected the ways we receive and process that information.
3 comments:
I definitely agree with you Shade! I used to be able to read a book for at least an hour, even if I did not like it, (by the way, I do not like reading at all) but now, I find it very difficult to read anything for even 15 minutes straight without taking a break. it is very difficult and with all the distractions around us, it is no wonder that I find it very hard to concentrate.
Its interesting that many people find it harder to concentrate as we grow older. I used to be able to do my homework or even read for pleasure without any interruptions. Now I have to take small breaks in between. But the upside to this is that if you are pulling an all-nighter, taking breaks to watch some comedy can actually improve your attention span and keep you awake.
Shahde--I love the way you make us aware of your own distractions that seemingly took you away from writing your post; I also appreciate, however, your point that in some ways, the "surfing" you did may have helped you narrow or close in on your topic. This point reminds me of one you make later in the post about information, namely that we are not escaping it, but rather we have more exposure to it than ever before. I would have liked to see you take your post even further--it's a little slim and it would have been good if you had demonstrated how one of your browsing tangents led you back to your post. Does this make sense? In other words, provide very focused examples of the points you are making so that we get a sense of what you experienced. Overall, your writing is very strong (in terms of syntax, grammar, word, choice) but your interesting argument needs more evidence. Finally, I am glad you took on the term "stupid" and finessed Carr's argument a bit more. I will leave you here so you do not check your email in the middle of reading my comment (just kidding).
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