Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
People use their computers, pads, pods, smart phones, etc., to check directions, schedules, sales and events, as well as perform work related activities. Technology seems to be completely integrated into modern life, and people use the information within the "web" for a variety of purposes. But the question must be asked as to the nature of this medium of transmitting information, and the effectiveness of it. Is the information being transmitted through this new medium enhancing the individuals' intellectual capacity, or is it being used as a substitute for learning and growing.
In chapter 10 of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman presents his readers with three commandments that television seems to always follow when it comes to the transmitting of information: have no prerequisites, induce no perplexity, and avoid exposition. (Postman, 1985, pp. 147-148) He asserts that these commandments force television to undermine the idea that sequence and continuity impact rational thought, promote the idea that the contentment, and not the intellectual growth of the viewer is important, and to avoid any hints of rational discourse. In effect, to simply present the viewer with the simplest, but most entertaining, program. And this type of impact has only increased with the development of new information technology. The nature of the new technology keeps information limited to "blurbs;" or short bits of information,...
They do not encompass other issues and their relation to the information, they do not discuss how this information came to be or what its impact might be, "blurbs" of information only give the individual the immediate gratification of an answer, but an incomplete one at best, and disinformation at worst. Instead of stimulating the intellectual development of individuals, like television, information technology seems to be providing them with limited, incomplete, and misleading information that may satisfy their immediate desire, but does nothing to aid in the development or growth of the individual.
The criticism of television by Neil Postman is founded in a well thought out and logical case in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death; but this criticism is equally applicable, if not more so, to the new technology that has arisen around computers and the internet. This new technology may be able to keep everyone connected to the latest information, but that information is presented in a limited fashion, lacking any real analysis or relativity to the world in general. This new technology, and the medium of "blurbs," has compounded the lack of thoughtful, orderly, rational thought that can be found in books.
References
Postman, Neil. (1985). Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Penguin. Print.
Amusing Ourselves to Death Media has a very powerful impact on people, which is the reason its advantages and disadvantages are discussed so very often. With every new technology entering our world, we start wondering just how this would later impact our society, culture, consumer market etc. This is because every medium brings along a message and while we believe that message is more important, some social critics maintain it is
Amusing Ourselves to Death In Chapter Seven of Neil Postman's book Amusing Ourselves to Death, the author critiques television news, claiming that its flashy format has reduced reality to fluff for entertainment value. While there are some exceptions to Postman's perception of television news, in general the author is correct in claiming that television news is "news without context, without consequences, without value, and therefore without essential seriousness ... news as
Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business The age of television began in the 1950's when the majority of Americans were finally able to have power brought directly to their houses and have a television set installed. Television, as is discussed in the book by Neil Postman, is not something that, by virtue of the technology, has a specific use or destination in the
Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death Neil Postman was a special type of a man and considered that he was not an expert on anything, and yet he was ready to express his opinion on every subject under the sun. The person's mind was continuously working at jokes, headlines and different ideas. This infected an individual when he met Mr. Postman and that could be responded to only with humor, and even
Workplace Information Systems Implementing Workplace Information Systems Process for determining the Information Needs of the Work Team Employees have varying needs relating to information when working in a team. It is always important for organizations to ensure that such needs are satisfied if such team members have to work harmoniously. While determining the information needs of the work team, the process will involve the following steps (Taylor, 1992): The setting of objectives will
4. Transparency, authenticity, and focus are good. Bland is bad. Many people are looking for someone who is in authority to share their ideas, experiences, or suggestions (Bielski, 2007, p. 9). Moreover, just as content analysis of other written and symbolic forms has provided new insights that might have otherwise gone unnoticed, the analysis of blog content may reveal some unexpected findings concerning hot topics and significant social trends that are