Monday, February 11, 2008
Just A Thought...
During an age when 2 million emails are sent every second and the time it took to find this information on the Internet took 10 seconds, it is understandable that today's workforce and youth expect stimulation instantaneously. This situation has lead to an increase in fast paced action films, electronic books, video games (GUITAR HERO III!!!) and even mp3 players that will not only hold an array of 10,000 songs, but play movies, check emails, act as a cell phone and provide us with an arcade at our disposal. Now I'm not saying any of this is all together detrimental to our well-being, and I even occasionally enjoy the vast amount of videos on YouTube.com (I was not paid to say that!) But seriously, how many people do you know actually sit down and read a book in a few days. Attention spans in Americans are next to nil and we will compromise quality any day for a quick fix... And trust me, entertainment and business entrepreneurs have had the quantity available. I'm not speaking about all Americans either, just those of you who fit the description and you know who you are. Okay, this is all fine and dandy but how does this situation really affect America as a country. I mean, just because we get everything at the tip of our fingers doesn't mean we are lazy and inept as people. I simply feel that the time it takes to watch a great film, read an enlightening book, or listen to a cd is becoming next to extinct in America. This hasn't been the case yet, but if things keep going the way that they are, with people and business concerned solely about saving time and multitasking, we are in a heap of trouble culturally. I personally feel that music, film, literature as a whole has been compromised in a way as an effect of the technological age. The only way we as Americans can avoid this dismal technological future, which I can picture looking like a bad scene in "Demolition Man" (which by the way all the scenes are bad LOL), is to slow down our lifestyles and pay attention to what really counts. We need not to pay too much attention to our new computer, ipod, phone, car, or even platinum bluetooth ear pieces (HAHA they do exist) but to the great music, movies, and literature that IS out there to which we've turned a blind eye...
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3 comments:
Along with the fact that anything entertaining is available on a handheld device, Americans today don’t really hold a strong appreciation for the arts that we have available. For example, millions of Americans use ITunes to download music to their MACs, PCs, and IPODS every day. However, Apple has made it possible that Americans do not have to purchase an entire album to enjoy the music, but just purchase one song. This is a slap in the face to many musical artists that feel that their work shouldn’t be torn apart single by single. The arts have no appreciation from the American people, and it only continues to get worse. Although, I do think it is a definite convenience for most TV shows, movies, albums, and books to be available in a smaller, portable package I feel that it takes away from the work of the creator and more than likely they may not be getting the credit or the profit they deserve from their work being converted to become a handheld presentation, hence the writers have come off their strike ONLY to receive a portion of the profits received from TV shows and movies available to be purchased online. Basically, those employed by the arts will seek and receive their rewards if we want to continue getting the entertainment we love.
Maybe one reason for our short attention span is that we are constantly bombarded by information everywhere that we go. There is no getting away from it. Have your plane cancelled at any airport and notice how you are faced with a constant loop of CNN at every turn—there is simply no getting away from it. There is no quite corner in an airport to escape with a book. With so much information at our disposal, we can pick and chose and ignore the rest. In an era of 24/7 news coverage the concept of “film at eleven” is rather quaint. Why wait until eleven when you can check it out on the web right away? If you don’t like what you see, just turn the channel. (You do have to admit that it’s kind of fun though.) Is it technology to blame or ourselves? With so much at our disposal, have we become lazy? We want what we want, we want it now and we are not willing to invest much effort in acquiring it. When USA TODAY first came on the scene decades ago it was decried at too simplistic. The reports were short, the language was basic and each story was set up so you didn’t even need to turn the page to finish it. Just the facts, m’am. Who knew that it was a harbinger of what was to come? How can the humanities—which require an investment of time if nothing else—compete? Sometimes you just need to remember to stop what you’re doing, turn off the flow of information and sit down with that book or piece of music. Then, recharged, you can enter the fray again.
I sometimes feel like I don't have time to sit down and enjoy a three hour movie. I find myself either at work, busy with work, or just trying to rest. The times where people could take time out of there day to read a good book are narrowing down. Americans are busy trying to be successful, which is more related to "The American Dream". And seeing as the american dream envolves money, movies, books, and plays do not fit into most of our lives. It is just so much easier to listen to an ipod while walking to class, than it is to wake up early to get some pleasure in your favorite cd. Also, I believe that one of the reasons we don't buy music anymore is because cd's went from being 10 dollars to 20 dollars in less than 5 years.
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