A recent Frontline documentary, Digital Nation: A Life on the Virtual Frontier, asks just this question–particularly with regard to education. Subjects include attention span, multi-tasking, and the doubts of one-time technology evangelist Douglas Rushkoff. But while some see technology as an obstacle to clear thinking and human interaction, others see it as essential to contemporary education.
I have to say the whole subject resonates with my own ambivalent technophilia. You can watch the documentary above or here (and the trailer follows), but don’t forget to check your news feeds, twitter, and facebook while it’s on in the background.
Wes Alwan lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he works as a writer and researcher and attends the Institute for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Culture. He also participates in The Partially Examined Life, a podcast consisting of informal discussions about philosophical texts by three philosophy graduate school dropouts.
I think this is an important video and I have just started to look into the website that accompanies the programme.
I have been comparing this programme to the recent BBC series “Virtual revolution” which covers much of the same ground. So far, in every respect it is superior. It is balanced and informative and does not sing the praises of the new technology but makes us think about the speed of its growth, the way it is transforming society and possibly the way it might harm us as a species.
Thanks Open Culture for yet another good posting.. it is why I make sure that I look you up regularly.
Thank U for the film and all it brought with it !!Much information,many questions to deal with,good opportunity to reinforce or change outlook on the place and impact of the technology on our life and the young generation !!I am specially concerned with the need to bridge the gap between the generations,clarify better dangers and advantages and integrated well and for good of all into all layers of life and society.I love technology and use it much,in comparison to my generation generaly,but am always “on guard” concerning who is controling who !!??
this is a useful film.
I’ve been a fan of Douglas and his work for some time, and as such am also pleased that he not developed a technodogma.
Oh dear, another made up term. It seems in these times, as we are taking the contents of dreams and externalising them (therapy,fantasy,conflict and relationships) and putting them into a digital format to deal with, if not understand them.
I especially find the subject of sensory input and telepresence very much factors of this scenario. Talk to disabled people of all kinds, and you’ll find the benefits of technology to augment,replace and enhance options to communicate and engage. On the flip side, there is too much going on to engage and replace a life that needs attention with consequences, reality bites; even if you have anotehr two lives.
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