Mo Media, Mo Problems

(This blog entry is based on the article “What’s new about new media?” written by Roger Silverstone and printed in the journal New Media & Society.)

 

“Novelty is our problem.”

Although many of us consider ourselves fairly optimistic, Silverstone’s recognition of the disuphoric results of new media opens a floodgate of specific instances where technology has negatively impacted society. With new powers come new consequences, and new responsibilities. Although our generation is hugely privileged by the unlimited amount of information available to us, it is difficult not to recognize some  troublesome underlying effects. The most noticeable problem to university students is the drastic drop in our attention spans. For instance, many students are wondering why they should read an entire textbook when one can find a completely sufficient summary by typing the name and author into a Google search field. Further, look at the spike in use of  Attention Deficit Disorder drugs on college campuses -especially Adderall- which is quickly becoming the most popular academic steroid. Our generation has trouble concentrating because we are used to having everything available to us right when we want it as a result of the Internet. This is just one way in which these new technological advances in media and resources are transforming our institutions.

-Emily