Yahoo had an interesting article the other day about comment Obama made that technology such as the ipod and Xbox are distractions that are hurting the nation.
They quote from a speech he gave:
I find Obama's view interesting. I couldn't agree more that we are entertainment saturated. As a public relations professional I can say that, in my opinion, the number of hard news or in-depth analysis stories versus human interest or hypothetical-scenarios stories is out of whack.
Often the in-depth stories are done by AP or Reuters. So many stories in the media now-a-days are posing questions instead of answering them.
Is this a function of audience demographics changing? Are people simple less interested in being informed and more interested in being entertained?
Is it more interesting to talk about how Greece's debt issues might collapse the European economy and spill through the rest of the world like some global oil well explosion or delve in to what the real antecedents and response efforts might be?
The fact that Newsweek is being sold, you really have to wonder what our appetite is for in-depth analysis anymore.
On the other hand, part of me wonders if our standards are simply too high. With more university graduates out there in the world than ever before, perhaps we have an expectation that the populous should have an innate interest in educating themselves? Has this really ever been the case?
For those of you who read philosophy (or took it in university) it's quite apparent that thinkers from 2,000 years ago produced works of intellect that I would argue still reign heads and shoulders above anything you'll find in the bookstore today.
And great minds still are driven by those works. Obama himself has a laundry list of great philosophers that he consults and publicly references regularly.
While things like the Xbox and iPods are serving entertainment interests, I think Obama's perspective on these devices is perhaps a bit off base.
The reality is that most of humanity has never cared much for enlightenment. Most have been too focused on tending the fields and keeping a roof over their heads.
Nowadays, if it's not the ipod or the Xbox, then it will be the television.
And to wrap this up, instead of disparaging these devices (because let's face it, technology is like the truth, once it comes to light there's no ignoring it), perhaps we should be focusing on the content being created for these devices.
These devices are merely access points to whatever we want them to be access points to. The fact that we currently pump the equivalent of electronic fast food through them is not the devices downfall, but our own as a society.
If Obama feels something like the iPad is a distraction, then have the Whitehouse create an iPad application. Or get Apple to distribute an Obama-endorsed free iPad edition of the constitution and then have Obama tell every kid in the country to download and read it.
It's self-evident that people today waste too much time on television and video games, but do they have other real choices?
Last time I turned on the television I didn't see a single show that offered truly insightful, intellectual content. The closest you'll come is perhaps the Discovery Channel. So their choice is to reject all media or not. Not really much of a choice for most people who were raised with a television in the room.
The restaurant isn't the issue, it's the menu being served. Kind of reminds me of the movie "Network" - we get what we demand or accept - blaming an iPod or Xbox is missing the point.
They quote from a speech he gave:
"And meanwhile, you're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank that high on the truth meter. And with iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy."
I find Obama's view interesting. I couldn't agree more that we are entertainment saturated. As a public relations professional I can say that, in my opinion, the number of hard news or in-depth analysis stories versus human interest or hypothetical-scenarios stories is out of whack.
Often the in-depth stories are done by AP or Reuters. So many stories in the media now-a-days are posing questions instead of answering them.
Is this a function of audience demographics changing? Are people simple less interested in being informed and more interested in being entertained?
Is it more interesting to talk about how Greece's debt issues might collapse the European economy and spill through the rest of the world like some global oil well explosion or delve in to what the real antecedents and response efforts might be?
The fact that Newsweek is being sold, you really have to wonder what our appetite is for in-depth analysis anymore.
On the other hand, part of me wonders if our standards are simply too high. With more university graduates out there in the world than ever before, perhaps we have an expectation that the populous should have an innate interest in educating themselves? Has this really ever been the case?
For those of you who read philosophy (or took it in university) it's quite apparent that thinkers from 2,000 years ago produced works of intellect that I would argue still reign heads and shoulders above anything you'll find in the bookstore today.
And great minds still are driven by those works. Obama himself has a laundry list of great philosophers that he consults and publicly references regularly.
While things like the Xbox and iPods are serving entertainment interests, I think Obama's perspective on these devices is perhaps a bit off base.
The reality is that most of humanity has never cared much for enlightenment. Most have been too focused on tending the fields and keeping a roof over their heads.
Nowadays, if it's not the ipod or the Xbox, then it will be the television.
And to wrap this up, instead of disparaging these devices (because let's face it, technology is like the truth, once it comes to light there's no ignoring it), perhaps we should be focusing on the content being created for these devices.
These devices are merely access points to whatever we want them to be access points to. The fact that we currently pump the equivalent of electronic fast food through them is not the devices downfall, but our own as a society.
If Obama feels something like the iPad is a distraction, then have the Whitehouse create an iPad application. Or get Apple to distribute an Obama-endorsed free iPad edition of the constitution and then have Obama tell every kid in the country to download and read it.
It's self-evident that people today waste too much time on television and video games, but do they have other real choices?
Last time I turned on the television I didn't see a single show that offered truly insightful, intellectual content. The closest you'll come is perhaps the Discovery Channel. So their choice is to reject all media or not. Not really much of a choice for most people who were raised with a television in the room.
The restaurant isn't the issue, it's the menu being served. Kind of reminds me of the movie "Network" - we get what we demand or accept - blaming an iPod or Xbox is missing the point.
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