I'd like to add on to what Mr. Cronk said in the last post.
As he said, we've become a generation that is expected to know the answer to "what's going on in the world?" With access to social media and the internet 24/7, we are constantly being updated on things that are happening, both in this country and outside of it. What are the effects of this?
For one, ignorance has become intolerable. Ignorance was never good, but I believe that people find it more intolerable now than they used to. Not only are you expected to know current events, you are also expected to know a lot more about everything in general. You can't have a conversation about a topic you know little about; people will just tell you to "Google it." I think this means that people don't theorize as much. There's a lot less brain exercising going on. For example, instead of trying to figure out how long it would take by car to get to your friend's house who lives in New York, you Google Map the route and it tells you almost exactly how long it will take. Perhaps you would have used some simple math to figure it out before such a tool was at your disposal. Or instead of trying hard to remember (exercising your memory) what other movies a certain actor was in, you Google it. These are very minor examples, but I think you get the point: they're everywhere. Yes, social media has give us access to a smorgasbord of knowledge, but what it isn't giving us is wisdom. Knowledge = information. Wisdom = having the experience to use that information. There's no wisdom in looking up a specific route on Google. It's like the saying, "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." When you do the math to figure out the time for the route, you are learning a skill that can be applied to another situation. When you try to remember the other movies the actor was in, you are actually creating more connections in your brain than if you just look it up.
This places a dependence on technology. How many of you use a calculator for very basic math? I know I do. It's hard not to pull out my phone to figure out every little math problem that floats my way, and I know other people do it, too. "What did people do before calculators?" someone in my calculus class said one day. That pretty much sums up our generation if you ask me.
I often wonder what a complete blackout (wireless included) would do to our society for an extended period of time. What would people do? No smart phones, no iPods, no computers, no TV. In no way do I think we are 100% lost without technology, but I believe this warrants some thought. For me personally, I've tried to pick up hobbies that don't require technology: acoustic guitar, reading, drawing. It's very gratifying to be able to do something physical like that. Feeling a guitar in my hands is a hundred times more satisfying than watching someone else play one on a screen. I once heard about a family who spent a week/month/extended amount of time in a log cabin with no electricity because they felt they were too dependent on it. After the time was over, everyone in the family said that it was a great to be "unplugged" from the constant chatter of technology. Indeed, we are "plugged in" to social media nearly 24/7, constantly being stimulated by news, updates, statuses, images, videos, and more. Constant stimulation leads to numbness. (a humorous aside: my friend has been poked on the shoulder by his little brother so many times to get his attention that poking my friend is now a completely ineffective way to get his attention - he's become numb from over-stimulation).
Much more can be said here. Perhaps it is debatable as to whether or not social media gives us only knowledge. Perhaps you think these examples are so minor that they don't have an effect on us. Perhaps you think being plugged in constantly is not a bad thing. You may be right. I'd definitely like to hear your thoughts on this, especially if you disagree. Apologies for any rambling that may have occurred,
Zack
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