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¶ … social media and instant communication pose obstacles to such reflection and serious thinking? How can college students practice serious reflection in our always-connected and instantaneous world?
Just like virtually every student of my generation, I feel a need to be constantly 'connected.' I have a cellphone that I check obsessively and when I am doing schoolwork, my Twitter, Facebook, and other social media accounts are always open. To justify my virtual addiction, I remind myself that not all of my online pursuits are frivolous. I read The New York Times online; when someone challenges me with a fact or a quote, I feel reasonably confident that I can find a reliable online source to research what they have claimed. But along with that instantaneous ability to explore new ideas and meet new people, I do believe that something has been lost, in terms of the way my generation apprehends the world, versus previous generations.
In the 19th century, it was not unusual for families to read Dickens and other great works of literature late at night to one another -- long, extended sprawling works that could not be summarized neatly into 140 characters. Even my parent's generation huddled around the television set, watching the same programs or films without the ability to flick through...
The Internet infects all of our brains with ADHD. The longer I surf online, the more I want an article to get to its point quickly, or better yet sum up things with a picture. It is difficult to read long, reflective analysis online. This impinges upon even our human relationships: if a problem can't be summarized in a sound bite, we might think it is not worth saying.
We are more globally connected, and I believe that is a 'good thing' in terms of how it forces members of all nations, races, and creeds to see a common thread of humanity across miles and cultures. But it is easy to become overwhelmed by the possibilities of connections to the point that the ability to forge deeper, specific and high-quality ties is lost. I would like to think that I am immune from the negative cultural influences of the Internet, of course, and only reap the positive benefits. But even within my own life trajectory, I realize a difference. When I was younger and spent less time online, it was not unusual for me to read through several hundred pages of a Harry Potter novel on a weekend. Today, on the rare occasions when I have time to read for pleasure, I am more likely to read a blog post. I cannot remember the last time I took the time to write in longhand: a painstaking process. The ability to…
This is not to imply that social media is responsible for our current issues. However it does not take a great leap of the imagination to see that society is becoming reconnected in a different, electronic way, and personal connections and interactions are suffering. Fr. Nicolas asserts that because of a lack of imagination empathy is lost. One can also see this as a manifestation of greed and situational ethics
, et al., 2011). Individuals most often use social media to create and strengthen relationships and increase communication within those relationships, rather than explicitly wanting to shop for products. Those individuals are using social media sites to: a) "construct a profile within a bounded system"; b) maintain "lists of other users with whom they share connections"; and c) view and "browse" those lists of connections with others they have interacted
Social media involves online content that people use via highly accessible technologies. Basically, social media marks a change in the way people read, discover and share information, news and content. Therefore, social media fuses technology and sociology leading to a change in monologues into dialogues and also marks information democratization, making everyone an author instead of being a mere content reader. Social media has become very popular since it enables
Globalization of Superficiality The contemporary society has suffered the cursing benefit of the global connection and the information technology that allows for the ease of communication in a fast mode and indeed, in a real time manner. The progress, though widely welcome and changed the society in significant measure over the last decade, has come with curse to the same society that it has helped change. The curse or challenges of
Ability to Reflect Social media and instant communication do pose obstacles to reflection and serious thinking because they cultivate an atmosphere of instant gratification and response, whereas reflection, meditation and serious thought require time, effort, and work. There is nothing instantaneous about reflection or spending time thinking about things. Thus, the usage of social media poses a danger for college students who hope to practice serious reflection in their academic
Media in America as the Fourth Estate: From Watergate to the Present During the 1970's, the role of the media changed from simply reporting the news to revealing serious political scandals (Waisbord, 2001). The media's role during Watergate was viewed as the mirror that reflected the most that journalism could offer to democracy: holding powers accountable for their actions. This became a trend in the American media and journalism had