Sunday, June 20, 2010
To Gain, or Lose it All
I’ve been reading Postman’s book for awhile, and even though I’ve passed chapter two, “media as epistemology”, my mind keeps going back to what Postman expressed on page 29. “It giveth and taketh away, although not quite in equal measure. Media change does not necessarily result in equilibrium. It sometimes creates more than it destroys. Sometimes, it is the other way around.” This quote really made me think about the technology we have today. Take for example Facebook, it gives us the ability to communicate with one another without even leaving our house. When our parents were our age they would spend all summer playing outside. Now we all sit in our rooms staring at a screen. What is our world coming to? We’re losing a lot, but at the same time we gain so much. With the access of internet children no longer bother with getting a book at the library because you can read it online. Now people text instead of talking with a person face to face. I know there are still some people out there continuing with past events, but how long will that last. With time comes change, but is this change good for man kind? I wish to find some sort of answer in Postman or Huxley’s book to this question. Do you think our generation is gaining more or losing it all?
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Do you think our generation is gaining more or losing it all?
ReplyDeleteI want to say our generation is on fair grounds where it's good that we can gain and lose at the same time, but we are losing more than we can actually afford to lose which I think is time. Of course our parents had a jolly good time outdoors but hey! we don't have to go outside because there is a virtual game called the Sims where we could make people that look like us go outside! No; this is not cool. We should still make an effort to be active and not just "lose" but avoid "giving it away." We have a choice whether we want to accept being insipid couch potatoes or not, which we must take action upon (like Postman speaks of something similar somewhere in the earlier chapters.) In other words, we are all just lazy Americans with the right to that option or the right to choose the other path. But why choose the other path when technology has made it so easy to be lazy? But then again, technology has benefited us in numerous ways; saving money, time and to keep us entertained when we are bored.
I agree with Breahna, that we have the option to get sucked into the appeal of technologies or to simply ignore it; however, today's generation will simply translate this into either choosing to be "cool" or "uncool". In today's generation, either one goes with the flow by having the latest technologies or become "uncool" by having last year's version of the iPod nano. No one wants to be called "uncool" and so we have no choice, but to give in to what the technology market has to offer. As more people gain this mentality, our generation is at an advantage and disadvantage at the same time. It is true that the internet has quite a few benefits– being able to easily communicate with the rest of the world and finding important news in a second; however, I believe that our generation is slightly more at a disadvantage - it is pretty obvious that our generation is slowly losing what we have learned before, from our parents, grandparents, and anyone who has preceded us. We know in the back of our minds that we are all becoming much lazier, much more dependent with the media, new technology, and the world wide web. We are continually allowing ourselves to get sucked into these quickly advancing technologies...but for what? In the hopes of make our lives better? Easier? We would rather mask the truth and ignore the fact that these new technologies are actually affecting us negatively, in that we are becoming more unhealthy as we sit on the computer for hours rather than bike or run around outside, or how we can find everything online in just a few clicks that we no longer have to read the whole book or look into the encyclopedia for more information. We do not want to admit this because the new technologies are making our lives so much easier and better -or so we think. This is why we choose to remain blind about this topic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Louise and Breahna. Our generation as a whole does have the option to either be considered as lazy or to make a difference. Somehow we can stay on computer for hours and not realize it, yet when we pick up at book reading for half an hour it seems like an eternity. Technology is like a drug, we just cannot get enough of it. However, our generation is at an enormous disadvantage because if an inconsiderate generation like our own continues this "trend" then our world will end as we know it. Like Louise said "We know in the back of our minds that we are all becoming much lazier" this is without a doubt true! We all have that thought "Oh! I need to clean my room, but wait until my show is over" except when that certain show is over we are once again consumed by technology. Technology is a form of laziness and if our own generation does not end this constant laziness, we will be the ones to corrupt the way the United States works. Because texting has taken up a way a person can have a conversation then how will we be able to conversate in person. The way to express emotion is to put some happy face at the end of the sentence or some colon and a slash. Yes, the internet can supply us with the latest news but so can a newspaper. Having technology has made life easier in certain aspects, but has made the world a much lazier place. It does have it's advantages and disadvantages but much much more cons than pros.
ReplyDeleteI feel neutral about this topic because it has its advantages and disadvantages. Like what Breahna was saying, we have the chance of being lazy or not, but sadly most of us are taking the easy route and being lazy. Before my grandmother would call me, now she texts me though she can barely use her cell, being a Luddite. She has a better phone than I do! But who doesn’t have a cell phone nowadays? Later on maybe even little kids will have a cell phone if they don’t already. If you go to the mall or anywhere, you’ll see most, if not all, teenagers and some adults texting away at a fast speed. My cousin has to have her cell phone at her side; she carries her charger with everywhere! She’s on MySpace, aim, and texting as well. If you ask her about a current event she might not know what you’re talking about. Sure cell phones have its advantages but we don’t take into consideration that maybe doing something productive is better than texting our friends. Sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have in front of us, and most of us want the newest phone or technology just because its “out of date”. What ever happened to sending letters? How will our technology control us even more in the future? What will it lead to?
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone is saying about American’s being lazy, but my intention of this blog was not the laziness of America, it was about how technology is causing us to become disconnected from each other. The more advanced technology becomes the less we need each other. Like I said, our parents would spend their summer playing with one another until dawn, but now our generation rarely interacts with each other. Instead you will usually find us behind some sort of screen. TV Screen, Computer Screen, Cell Phone Screen. We depend on texting to express what were saying. Most of us would rather send a text instead of simply calling someone. Some people become trapped in games like World of Warcraft, where you communicate with others without ever leaving your home. Now its fun to play games, but when your life becomes so consumed around it that you no longer go outside to experience actual human connection, well that is just sad. Sooner or later we will no longer have the ability to talk to another human being at all, and technology has made us question if we really need to.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone. In today’s society technology is everywhere and the dependency on it is rising. Whether it is a smaller form or a larger form, people are always looking for ways to “enhance” technology. For example, a friend of mine can not properly read an analog watch so she resorts to digital watches and displays of time. I myself would prefer digital because all you have to do is glance and you can obtain the exact time. Does this mean that digital watches are better? Definitely not, but these small changes to make life easier and more comfortable are becoming common. New cell phones are coming out on a regular basis more improved than the one before and capable of doing all sorts of tricks that the user might not even be aware of. The simple idea of having something better and updated excites society especially the younger generations. I mean why go take a run outside when you can take a virtual jog on gaming systems such as Wii. It’s as simple as running in place with a remote in hand from the comfort of your own home. It may seem cool at first but are you really getting the same benefits? Instead of going out with a friend to talk and hang out people use gadgets such as Skype to video chat with a person online. This can be very useful at times when there is a great distance separating the two people this way they can see each other, but most of the time it can just become another excuse to stay using technology. I find myself signing up for all these different websites that I hardly even use not because I want to, but because I feel like I have to since all my friends are. I think that there are a lot of people who do not realize that they do have a problem when it comes to technology. They say that they can go a day without it but just like an addiction, it is hard to stop. Even when people make attempts to “get some fresh air” I find that the use of cell phones and ipods are still present during that time. I mean how can you enjoy a nice evening walk when your head is face down reading something on a phone or some other device? Even though technology has made a huge difference in the world, it is also becoming a problem.
ReplyDeleteI think that what we are gaining cancels out what we are losing. All this technology can really come in handy for us. For example my if someone is unfamiliar with an area, a GPS system can instruct them with "Turn by Turn" directions. Or, when there is an emergency, that cell phone can save a life. That ipod can entertain us when we are bored out of our minds, and a computer can help us finish an important assignment when the library is all out of the books we need. But, the problem is that we no longer appreciate anything around us because we are too busy listening to our ipods, or because our eyes are glued to our phones and game systems. Technology has not only made people lazy, but we have become so dependent on these gadgets, that we cannot live without them.
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point! My parents are always talking about how our generation is different from theirs and that we have technology as our best friends. Like I said before, what will technology lead us to? Will we end up like the people in the film Wall-E? They don’t interact with each other and don’t notice their surroundings. They are all obese and just go with the flow believing everything. For example when the computer voice said, “Try blue, the new red” and everyone changed their clothes to the color blue. Hopefully we don’t end up like them.