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A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or perhaps both. -- James Madison
“When a dog bites a
man that is not news,
because it happens so often.
But if a man bites a
dog, that is news.”
- Editor John B. Bogart, New York Sun
man that is not news,
because it happens so often.
But if a man bites a
dog, that is news.”
- Editor John B. Bogart, New York Sun
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20 comments:
Most of us, like Powers, have a keen sense of how destructive the use of technology has for us, yet is seems hard for us to completely break away (the example from today's class where Powers writes this book critiquing technology, but he cannot feel liberated until he drowns his phone). My question would be, how do you distinguish between personal "need" for technologies vs. the "need" society/ our culture project on us? Even with knowledge and education about the dangers of using media, until we make action INDIVIDUALLY, our culture isn't subject to change. Or maybe my question could be reformed to address that point, how can individuals impact the greater whole, propelling our culture in the right direction?
I believe the question I would want to ask would be, "When do we feel society will stop being dependent on technology? And do you think it will ever be possible?"
Technology has helped make our lives easier, but at what cost? Part of me thinks as analyzers we are just being reactionary to change and we need to back off. Kind of in the same strain that comics were considered evil because they were a new medium, maybe all of the internet socializing is just a feared change. On the other hand, the opposite is totally possible. Technology is running away from us, and we are becoming a society where the technology uses us.
Case and point being that my blog was supposed to be on media withdrawal, but I tried to do anything but not use my cellphone and facebook.
So my question, will we ever downgrade our technology use so we can live? my answer is, "Probably not until we have proved beyond a reasonable doubt it definitely gives us cancer."
But even then I can't guarantee change.
Powers talks about how today we all suffer from "overconnectedness." We are always between gadgets and electronic devices and we never get a break. The thing is that today we might have more advanced gadgets to distract ourselves with but this technology had to start somewhere.
When Powers takes it back to Plato and Hamlet's time period, they were being distracted by their own form of gadgets too. They had tables and papyrus instead of blackberrys and emails, but it was the same concept.
So did Plato and Hamlet start this obsession with technology and did we just follow suite years later? Or were their gadgets necessary and we've taken it to a new bizarre level?
Powers does a good job of summarizing a lot of the issues we have addressed this semester. As opposed to other books we have read, that in my opinion, condemn the use and purposes of many technologies, Powers in Hamlet's Blackberry, acknowledges the fact that they have become a necessary and permanent part of our lives. Breakthroughs in technology are going to continue to breakthrough to the dismay of many, but the society we live in demands and embraces that. We are a tech culture. The overriding theme Powers conveys is balance. Kind of like what "pspegeman" said, I think a good question to debate would be whether or not our culture can find and maintain a balance between the need for technology society demands from us against the need for personal time away from technology.
In this ever pressing, busy and stressful age, is it possible to create technological gaps for ourselves in order to live a more meaningful life? Or is the expectation of society to be plugged in at all times too overbearing for this to be achieved?
I think it would interesting to explore Powers’ suggestions for how we can create a neutral place in which we can escape the busyness of our technologically enhanced lives. My question would be: What are Powers' suggestions on how to escape technology and constant connection. Are any of these solutions possible to achieve in our lives, or are they impossible? Are there any other solutions to societies technological overload that would be more successful than the ones Powers explores?
How can we apply the ideas that Powers presents in Hamlet's Blackberry to Journalism? Taking in the costs that Powers brings up, what does the Internet's (and the rest of Mass Media, if you will) cost/benefit ratio look like through a journalistic lens?
The involuntary disconnectedness Powers touches on when he goes aboard airplanes or accidentally drowns his phone is a disintegrating way of bringing people back to a time before the digital revolution where they can't have unlimited access to their electronics. With the strive to eliminate this involuntary disconnectedness, will people realize that they do need breaks between their screens and convert to making time for voluntary disconnectedness?
Powers talks about finding a middle ground between over usage of technology and the absence of technology. I think it would be interesting to ask ourselves to examine our own usage of technology from our younger years (when text messaging was first becoming popular) throughout our lives up until now. I think it would be interesting and insightful to see how we progressed with our usage of technology and try to figure out how we got to be where we are now. Compare our usage of media and technology ten years ago and our usage now? What has changed? Why? And is there hope for the youth of today's society where seven year olds carry around cell phones and have facebooks. What does their future look like?
here's a suggestion -- if the paper is two pages or so long -- the question should be narrowly drawn -- for example, is powers right that hyper-connectivity has flattened our interior life, rendering deep thought and steady focus increasingly to attain?
look again at your questions. try to narrow them like the above.
I feel like a lot of these comments are coming from the same place. We are all feeling overwhelmed by our media devices and I'm sure we've all thought about what we could consider our Walden or how we "digress" back to older technologies to escape. In this increasingly fast-paced life, we need to find ways to take these little breaks, however especially for anyone in the journalism field, it is becoming harder to separate. Being linked in to all of these different sites is almost mandatory for working in the field these days. My question would be where do we draw the line between the mandatory and the unhealthy? Is there a balance to be made or are we just going to drive ourselves into the ground?
Has hyperconnectivity and our inability to take breaks from technolgoy affected the way that humans make social interactions? Has it completey replaced what were previously regarded as social norms?
Where is my post? How come they always disappear? It posted fine earlier and I didn't even get the message saying it was too long that I sometimes get. It had two questions:
1 was in line with Pete's original:
If one could separate their media/tech use into three categories - personal NEED, personal desire/impulse, and societal/culture impulse - would it become easier to recognize excessive connected behavior and limit it?
The next question had to do with how new technologies are developed for practical uses and quickly just become new vehicles for entertainment. I'll post it separately in hopes that this posts this time.
i saw it, matt. it was here.
Each time new media technologies are developed, it is often with practical uses in mind. Sometimes after their introduction they tend to quickly become vehicles for entertainment and advertising and stay from the original purpose.
Examples: Radio originally intended to communicate and transmit information but entertainment programming like The Shadow radio show are quickly introduced. Television; same as radio, essentially. Telephone, several transformations between rotary landlines and the advent of widespread cell phones, but the cell phone eventually becomes a pocket-sized entertainment system. Even the blackberry was originally intended for businessmen.
Question: Is the inevitable transformation of new media technologies into entertainment vehicles an inevitable eventuality inherent IN media technologies or is it a subtle exploitation of technology in which it is difficult to distinguish the line between entertainment and the original form or purpose?
I think that everyone in the class has basically established that we realize we are too dependent or at least use technology too often.
I think it would be interesting to try and come up with a response to the question of:
why, despite acknowledging the problems that exist do we not change our behavior?
I know that I personally haven't really changed my behavior, although maybe some people have.
i would propose that the reason people haven't changed their behavior vis a vis media technology despite the obvious negative effects is that they don't actually want to be thoughtful or mindful or seriously engaged. they would prefer to be light-hearted, even if that means being half-blind and superficial. the culture doesn't value knowledge or depth; it values consumption... and fun! the deeper enjoyment found through study or creation or genuine friendship and community is just too much work for most people.
btw, i'm kind of pissed that not everyone has yet posted a response to this assignment. i mean, can we have a better illustration of what i'm talking about?
After reading the first few chapters of Hamlet’s Blackberry, I have come to the conclusion that William Powers’ struggle with media is that there is a loss of depth. My question would be, “Will everyone lose a sense of themselves in the future, plugged into machines, and be non-responsive to the natural world around them (or what is left of it) or will there be a period in time when people rebel against technology (like out of a Terminator movie) and express more physical human interaction and reflection?” Another question could be, “How could we increase the quality of our lives instead of the quantity and stay on that track?
Sorry for the lateness, it has been a very stressful and busy semester.
for me, too
I would like to answer a question I’ve been toying with for a little while now: How do we manage to live our lives in thick the endless media torrent?
People go on about how they’re addicted to facebook and social media, but do nothing to change it. Some of the children of the high school outlined by the New York Times video had just accepted their fate as slaves to their devices. The principal of that school sat, defeated, trying to spin his acceptance of the devices as a positive change in the school’s learning atmosphere.
I want to speak about how men and women of the 21st century are expected to cope with the endless amount of information they are pummeled with on a daily basis and what some are doing to pull themselves back into the “real world;” if that’s even an option anymore.
Powers talks about the inner flattening of a citizen of the digital age, the lack of free thought that exists in someone who is constantly plugged in. I agree with his stance, but I want to look into the other issues brought up in the book. Such as, copping with hyper connectivity. I want to see if it is possible to maintain a golden mean with the media when it is essential to be connected to the media for our daily lives at work.
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