Are we living faster and faster lives, or is the world we're living in moving faster and faster, while we scramble to merely keep up? These are problems addressed in the first portion of PBS Frontline's Digital_Nation, directed and produced by Rachel Dretzin, accompanied by Douglas Rushkoff. One of the first quotes in the film, from Melissa Chapman, relates the need for connection through technology that we're faced with: "I can't imagine, I can't even imagine, being without [my blackberry]."
This isn't a strange phenomenon, of course. We're all, in some respects, wired up to the eyeballs. I asked the students in one of my classes today how long they spent online in a typical day. One student responded about 5 or 6 hours. We don't like to think it's true, and many others seemed pretty surprised to hear that number. But think about it. I use facebook, I surf blogs, I read news online, I check and write e-mails constantly, and text, all available on my handy iPhone. How often do I use technology every day? Rushkoff observed that World of Warcraft players devote an average of 10 hours a week to the game, and some people snicker when they hear that. But, really, some of us spend 10 hours a day on our digital devices without even thinking about it!
What does it mean to be wired? Are we too wired? What would that look like?
One of the big questions that Dretzin says she and Rushkoff had going into their project was just what was going on with the use of new technology, especially as it affected young people. They begin in MIT to talk about, and present, differing opinions on multi-tasking. While many of the contributors to the project viewed what they referred to as a bias in this portion of the actual film, the question is certainly raised... are we, as multitaskers, distracted?
What are your thoughts?
To me being wired means to be constantly connected to technology. Today you can always find someone on some kind of a device (wasting their time on facebook, watching a youtube video, downloading music, etc...) I would say that today we are too connected. You can not argue that technology is not a good thing, it helps us out with most of everything we do everyday, but too much technology, being too connected, too wired is not necessarily a good thing. When you find yourself communicating with your loved ones online and through text more than you do in person or over a phone call to me is too wired. I will use myself as an example of being too wired. Right now I am at the library listening to music, texting, reading this blog, watching the videos, brainstorming on what I am going to write, and I also have D2L and my email open. Although I am getting my homework done I am getting distracted. I find myself changing a song, responding to a text, or checking my email, then because I distracted myself I have to reread the blog and get my mind ready to write again. This is an example of being to connected I am trying to multitask even though I know I should just dedicate my time and energy just to write. I have made myself believe that I need music to help me think and that I do not need to put my phone away while I do school work. We are too wired and if we don't slow down I don't think we will ever realize that we do not need to be connected all the time. I think we have found ourselves depended on the internet and being connected all the time.
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DeleteI agree with "My Life With Technology" when they provide the example being distracted with everything they're doing at one time. This example was brought up in the video as well, because it proves to not be effective, as society like to believe, but it's actually regressive to our society. The term "multitasker" has a positive conotation attached to it, however, the video proved that attempting to do many tasks at one time doesn't reach the results wanted. In the technology era I've grown up in, it's normal to be on one's phone and laptop with many windows open. It's the "norm" but shouldn't be. Being "too wired" is an actual problem for modern day society. Poeple are constantly connected to some sort of technology. Even though technology has helped advance the world, the saying, "too much of a good thing," prevails in this example. There's no standard to how much technology use is being "too wired," but when it starts interferring in one's life and success, then that will be a good clue.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that multitasking is extremely useful... when it's used appropriately. For instance, one person on the Digital Nation website describes how she multitasks at work:
Delete"I will move from a spreadsheet analysis, to answering a question related to a completely different analysis/topic which I must "look-up" while I speak to the caller. Even while talking to the caller, I am looking at a previous analysis, relating how that analysis will answer their questions they are discussing with me on the phone, and even doing further related analysis that is related to the discussion on the fringes only, but needed to help them understand what they need to."
This is an example of good multitasking; all the tasks that he does are relevant to each other and help him accomplish an end goal: solving a customer's problem. In contrast, consider the students who are attending a lecture, listening to music, checking their Facebook, playing a game, and chatting with their friends. In this case, none of the latter activities are contributing to the students' learning; therefore, this type of multitasking is detrimental.
The students who multitask in this way might argue that it will prepare them for multitasking at work. However, they are actually learning how to multitask incorrectly; the "classroom" type of multitasking teaches the students to try to process several things concurrently and keep them seperate, while the "work" type of multitasking requires processing relevant sources of information, seeing the connections between the information, and using these connections efficiently.
Portable technology (cell phones, laptops, tablets, etc.) has become such a staple in society that people have a hard time thinking about not having one. I don't think I can name a single person I know that doesn't have a cell phone. Out of all of those people very few don't have a smart phone. It seems like most people these days, that I interact with anyway, have an iPhone, Android, or some other phone with a QWERTY keyboard and the ability to house applications. When I'm in my living room with my house mates we will all inevitably end up on our phones or laptops at some point. It just seems natural because everything we do is digital anymore. We don't even think about it because they are so incorporated into our lives, but if they were taken away most of us would be at a loss and have no idea what to do. It's like the girl in the beginning of Digital Nation saying she can't imagine not having her blackberry, I hear someone on at least a weekly basis, if not more frequently, saying they couldn't live without their phones. I completely agree seeing as my iPhone has everything on it. I have an app for almost anything I could need one for. I keep track of my class assignments with one and track my bike rides with another. I have a folder strictly for social networking websites and a few for games. There are endless things you can do just on a phone that save you from having to carry a planner, a notebook, and whatever else those apps can replace.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that we are in the most technologically useful period in history, but are we allowing this technology to take us to our full potential? I think in most cases, it is dragging us the other way. Just take a minute to think of how many hours you spend "plugged in" every day. For me its around four or five hours, but when I really think about it, only about a fifth of that was really necessary.
DeleteWe click on something we like, we feel good. We see something funny, we laugh. We find something interesting...we look for more. Ill surf the web for hours looking through things I either dont need to, or sometimes dont want to, simply because I know there is so much interesting content out there and I can get easy instant gratification. I, like many of the MIT multitaskers, lose track of whats in the long run and focus too much on feeling accomplished at the end of a day where I've done virtually nothing.
Its easy to feel like you've done something on the internet, and sometimes you really can, but we've got to realize when were just surfing around. I would rather have more personalized human interactions and be out in the real world instead of stuck in the web. Were all connected whether we like it or not, and I cant challenge you enough to break free of these wires. It is up to you though, for breaking free seems easy, but there will always be extenuating circumstances pulling you back into the haze of wires.
The merriam-webster dictionary defines "wired" as the use of computers and information technology to transfer or receive information, by means of the Internet. To "be wired" can be using technology that involves the internet and communication. Some might argue that our culture is too wired. When was the last time you remember seeing someone without a cell phone? It's almost unheard of. As sad as it may seem, I too have fallen victim to being wired. I dont think I would know what to do with my time if it wasn't modern communication technology. But, how much is too much, too wired? That depends on the individual. For example, an older women in her 50's probably won't understand why her grandchildren are so hooked on this type of technology, they didn't have anything like this when she was a child. What she doesn't realize is that this technology has grown up with the child, essentially. Most children have no idea that this overuse of technology is wrong, because it's all they've known. To say that we're "too wired" as a culture, is generally correct in comparison to the past, before this kind of technology existed. However, in 10 years from now "too wired" today, might be the norm.
ReplyDeleteMultitasking, something so simple, and so complex. People don't really give much credit to themselves when it comes to this. To think that I can manage my email, get the weather,news, see what my friends are doing, and so much more, with just a press of a button ( or the swipe of a finger ' o ' ) seems almost unreal. This is something I do EVERYDAY, without even giving it a second thought. Does this necessarily mean that I am a multitasking pro? I wouldn't go that far. I mean, sure I can do all those things together thanks to technology. But when someone is trying to talk to me, and I'm checking all of that, I dont really focus on what the person in front of me is saying, the "yeah" and "uh-huh" replies aren't very persuading. The person can obviously tell that they don't have my full attention. That being said, is this convenient multitasking technology just a inhibitor to human interaction entirely?
DeleteI don't really believe that we are to blame for how we really are in today's time. For example, when adults talk about all the kids in this generation being rude or somewhat it's not really the kids fault. Most of it comes back to the parenting. Getting back on topic, when it comes to technology it may be weird for people that are a bit older to understand why we would use technology as much as we do now, because we grew up with it and they didn't. Technology in school and college has become so common nowadays people never really stop to think about it as much anymore. It isn't our fault for our use of technology, because today we are exposed to it so much during school and throughout our lives it has just become natural for us to use it.
ReplyDeleteYes, we all have to admit that we are a little too wired, but sometimes it is essential. Take school for example: you have to be wired in order to get most assignments or updates and to do the assignments and turn them in (i.e. this English class). But most students don't see that being too wired and constantly multitasking isn't efficient at all. Yes, it was proved through the tests at MIT, but if you just think about your own experiences with multitasking for a minute, you can easily see a pattern of distraction throughout your study habits and daily activities. Even while I'm writing this, I'm struggling to not check my phone. Even though being too wired is socially acceptable that doesn't mean it's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI think being wired is being so attached to technology that you cannot function normally without it. As a societal whole, I believe that we are completely wired. Society has become so intertwined with technology that if we lost it all, I fear we’d go into some sort of a culture shock! Technology is a part of our everyday lives and, honestly, I think it distracts us as multi-taskers. At least, I know it distracts me. Every time I pick up my laptop to do my homework, I get distracted by all of the things I can do. I just don’t see how you can’t. With just a few clicks, you can do virtually anything. You can learn about the world around you, communicate with friends, or even watch a movie. Just thinking about all the things I could be doing, instead of writing this comment, is distracting me! Though I’m not nearly as wired as most teenagers my age, I can still feel the pull of technology. In my opinion, it will only a matter of time before we’re all completely trapped within its bounds.
ReplyDeleteFrom watching Digital_Nation I get the feeling that multitasking is generally bad. The experiments conducted at Stanford about the heavy mulitaskers were, to me, extremely relevant. Granted I’m not sure how much of the population would be put into the heavy category, but I’m sure that there are detriments to moderate users as well. I know that for me personally when I’m in class, for example, I need to write out my notes by hand. I think I retain information best from writing it all out and at the same time I’m eliminating the opportunity of distraction by brining my computer. I know that computers are much more the norm now, and when I see people switch between typing notes, Facebook, and games, I really wonder how much they retain. Even now, for this blog response, I’m writing this first by hand in my kitchen where the biggest distractions are looking out of the window and seeing my backyard. I find it very relaxing just to look outside of the window and listen to the squirrels chatter, but isn’t this a distraction too? What constitutes “bad” distractions from distractions in general? And is multitasking always a bad thing? What about a mail room worker who sorts mail and listens to music, isn’t that an example of multitasking? Or what about a person listening to the radio while playing a computer game, this too is multi-tasking, right? I don’t think that all multitasking is bad; it just isn’t the optimal way of doing things in all circumstances, such as during lectures.
ReplyDeleteI agree that to a large degree multitasking is a bad thing. As you said, when in class and listening to a lecture the more focused you are the better you will be able to retain the information being given. I think that it all boils down to the person, the activity taking place, and the type of multitasking. In instances where there is a higher standard of retention or attention to detail required, multitasking is most likely not the best thing to do. Especially if you are doing many different things, as you said checking Facebook, playing games, checking email and texting all while listening to lecture material that you will be tested over. However if someone is doing something that is relatively low in mental strain while listening to music it is probably not near as detrimental. We are faced with all sorts of distractions in day to day life like you said, to the point that we probably do not need to add even more to the mix voluntarily. I also agree that the "old fashioned" way of learning is not necessarily a bad approach. Paper and pencil have been the tried and true method for many years prior to computers.
DeleteIn my experience, when I do attend lecture I tend to be more focused on what the lecturer is saying while I'm listening to music. Without the music I tend to look at my phone to see how much longer I'm stuck there listening to this guy babble on, checking Facebook to pass the time between note taking, or browsing Reddit. The music keeps my train of thought from straying from the speaker and allows me to take better notes. Also, I've had many a days where it just wasn't, "my day," and the music helps keep me level headed and in class, because the music helps keep me calm and that facilitates a better attitude and a willingness to stay in a class instead of leaving pissed off I stubbed my toe 8,000 times before I left my house. I balance very low-volume (low, I suppose, is definitely relative in this case) with attentive hand-written note taking that really helps the information at hand stick with me.
DeleteFor me being wired means having a connection to the world, online and off. One can be wired just from watching television, just about every commercial now includes either online options or a comment saying "like us on facebook." Unfortunately this means that no matter how much one dislikes technology or social media, they are now being forced, if not to create and account, to at the very least witness the birth of the digital era. hopefully this does not include the destruction of the written and physical interaction eras.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that the youth of today is overly dependent on technology. In Digital Nation the studies that are conducted in regards to multitasking serve to prove just that point. College students have become so dependent on technology that they are no longer just multitasking, they are taking it to a whole new level. There were people that claimed that they would do as many as ten things at once. That is past the point of trying to be efficient or attempting to stay connected. To me that type of dependance borders on the edge of addiction. A very severe addiction at that. If someone cannot sit down for long enough to write a few paragraphs without checking their Facebook there is something wrong. In a society in which doctors are continually diagnosing children with things such as ADD and ADHD you would think that people would not condone this type of scattered and unfocused behavior. However in Digital Nation they show second grade students in Korea, which already has a severe problem with internet dependence, being introduced to the internet and taught that it is the most effective way to go about schoolwork. When the school system is condoning this type of behavior, going as far as to inundate young children with technology, there is little to no hope of breaking this internet addiction.
ReplyDeleteToo wired.... Does something like that already exist in today's society? We spend up to 9 hours on the internet without pausing so much as to think about it, but is there a point that it's too much? (Just going to take a moment to point out the sheer irony of this thread being an online event. Moving on.) I would say yes. The gamers that die because they are too into an online game are definitely too wired. And people that use technology so much that they stop functioning in society, if they exist, would be considered too wired. Internet addiction is now considered a psychological disorder. These people sit at their computers and barely eat and drink until they die. It seems a strange way to die. What possibly could have kept them going? It doesn't make sense to me.... Then again I fall asleep randomly and don't function well without sleep or food..... What an intense dedication to their online world.
ReplyDeleteThe following assumes that the person(s) in question in writing below has no prior beliefs, dispositions, or knowledge of the subject of the video:
ReplyDeleteIf someone comes into a conversation, with no prior knowledge of or predispositions of the situation at hand, expecting to hear facts that are going to shine a negative light on a subject, much like the beginning of the video does, than they are extremely likely to draw a meaning out of the information relayed to them that is going to be relatively negative. The video really makes out this, "addiction," to technology as a bad thing. An incredibly bad thing. So, inevitably we, as viewers, have a very-recently formed disposition to agree with the makers' views on the subject.
What I am trying to say, without all the fancy stuff mucking up my point, is that this person is, in a way, coerced to formulate views that parallel the ideas of the makers of the video. Once again, this is assuming that person doesn't already have view on the subject.
When I watched the video, I found myself agreeing with the people in the video. I found myself analyzing how much I use technology and how my life has been changed by it and it, quite frankly, disgusted me. However, after the video was turned off and I had a 10 minute bus ride on which I could really collect my thoughts, I found myself doubting what they were saying. Not necessarily because I think they were wrong in believing the way they do, but because of how they went about giving us the information. It was biased. Sooooooooooooo biased. So, I, being a viewer with no predisposition on the subject, accepted what they said.
Now, without anymore ranting, I believe that we have begun to revolve a large portion of our lives around technology, and some have become very dependent on it. Right now we might view this as a bad thing, but in the future they might hail this as the era that began to define a great digital society that may exist in the future. This isn't something we can look at and immediately know the repercussions are going to be bad. Only time can tell us if what is happening to us a society right now is good or bad. So, why try to qualify it? Why not just study and record its immediate effects and, given a passage of time, analyze what they meant for the world?
Yo.
Toaster Strudel, behold the powers of persuasion, argument, and rhetoric! The next step would be to find exactly what the *warrants* are that the movie is attempting to get us to share (what values, etc.?). Though, I will argue that the bias is mixed. While they're relating the negative, they're also looking into the positive. What *are* people using this digital technology for? What are the potential caveats?
DeleteYou're right to see a bias - but remember that at least one of them, Rushkoff, began his studies writing books and speaking as an authority on the *good* of digital technology. So he's been on the "other" side (he's most certainly not *against* digital technology in this latest documentary), and now is approaching the topic with some curiosity and perhaps caution.
But I think you're spot on with your response - notice how every single one of us would argue that multitasking is in some way bad... but we all admit to doing it? Are our views merely being shaped by what we saw in the movie? From what we're being told out in the world? Or do we have experience with it being detrimental to us?
I agree that multitasking *can* be a negative thing. I've felt the ramifications of it myself in how I approach my work. Distractions, galore!
But when we say "I agree, multitasking is bad," are we merely reiterating something we've been told by other people? Do we have experience NOT multitasking, to tell us what it would be like otherwise?
I believe that as multitaskers, we are much less effective in our actions, but that as the world is progressing, it is becoming necessary to multitask anyways. In the video, the progression from verbal to written was mentioned, and there is a gain and a loss. With multitasking you are able to get more actions, but of course there are consequences.
ReplyDeletethe definition of being "wired" is being connected, & parhaps even too connected with technology.
ReplyDeleteBeing wired and multitasking seems to be an easy task for confident college students and young adults, who swear that its what they live by, but the research shows that we are actually handicapping our abilities by multitasking too much. Though it is proven to not be effective, multitasking is necessary with today's society who wants everything done faster. But by asking for a faster product, are we willing to sacrifice its efficiency?
Being updated is another word for being wired, and i don't see any problems with being updated because your only getting additional information which you may or may not need. multitasking on the other hand handicaps our abilities to some extent, the human brain has only a certain amount of concentration that they can dedicate to a topic and if one was to divert thier attention between two different ideas it loses both focus and productivity.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that amazed me from the video was the Japanese kids who were all in the video game arcades. Although video games are considered a problem here in America it was astounding to see that other countries have a much bigger problem with video game. It is so bad there that the video even said people have died in the video arcades from staying in there for hours on end. That fact there is simply mindblowing.
ReplyDeleteEven though I feel as though the extent to which people are wired through technology is detrimental to the social and cognitive skills of the up and coming generations, it is necessary to be wired in such a manner in order to be competitive in the world today.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is problem that we need to deal with as like everything else in history. We haven't truly excepted the idea of technology. Some people try to run away from it and trying to have as much little interaction with it. But the fact that you are TRYING, that means you are running away from reality. Technology is reality, a reality that our world is experiencing, especially here in America. Instead of picking all the cons of technology we need to embrace the pros, so we can proceed and succeed in other fields and expand human capabilities.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that technology is as big as a problem as the video made it out to be. If someone was to watch the video who didn't have any experience with technology, they would think the world is about to end! I got incredibly mad when the mother was complaining about her son never talking to her and always playing video games online, yet, she wouldn't do anything about it. You are the child's parent: act like it and don't depend on others to do what you should be doing. If a parent sees their kid doing something they believe is harmful to the kid, they need to put an end to it instead of whining and waiting for someone else to come up with a solution. I do agree that we take technologies to the extreme most of the time, but that is when it's on us to do something about it and no one else. The whole video put the blame on technology instead of the person using it. Like Toaster Strudel, I agreed with most of the video at first until I had time to rethink it. I was reevaluating how technology has taken over my life when, in reality, I LET it happen. It isn't like it just sprang up on us one day, it has slowly been building and growing since the dawn of time and we are just letting it taken control.
ReplyDeleteI think being wired is extremely important in today's society, but it quickly becomes dangerous if we are too wired. There is a fine line between understanding responsible use of technology and letting technology consume our lives. There is a segment in the video that discusses the benefits of a virtual world (such as World of Warcraft and Second Life) and how it allows for a new type of connection, but I think that this new community may devalue the sense of community in the real world. Face-to-face conversations and real life relationships are extremely important to human development and these should not be lost due to the advancement of technology.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the documentary, students and teachers are asked questions about multi-tasking and how this affects students' performance. It's evident that students believe they are performing tasks just as well when they multitask; however, many professors and researchers have a different attitude. I know from personal experience, that when I have several things going on at once I tend to perform each task with less effort than I would if I did each individually. Our brains struggle with transitioning from task as quickly as computers allow us to and this is causing us to have lower quality performances.
Technology is extremely beneficial as it helps with homework and makes it easier to have all of my information in one place, but it can become a negative thing if we do not use it wisely and limit the distractions when necessary.