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?

Politics Are Becoming Absorbed in the Media

I'm only on Chapter 1: The Medium is the Metaphor, and I've already found some information that shocked me. Politics aren't what they used to be; and though I'd already realized this, I didn't comprehend the true issue. Yes, though us teens don't really pay attention to politics anymore-Facebook is way more important, of course-we are all still aware that they aren't making the best choices out in the White House. Now, this may be a far-fetched idea, but could it be because America is only choosing handsome, or at least slightly decent-looking, people for the most crucial jobs in government?
As Postman says on page 4, "we may have reached the point where cosmetics has replaced ideology as the field of expertise over which a politician must have competent control". Basically, Schwarzeneggers' are being placed where Clintons' and Kennedys' should be instead. When society gets to the point where even politicians need to be surrounded by makeup artists, something is obviously wrong. Now my question is: does the public recognize this, or are they just choosing to ignore it?