Maggie Jackson’s intro to her book Distracted, and Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google making us stupid” definitely makes you take a step back and reconsider the effects that social media is having not only on our culture but on our physiological beings. I for one can say that the thought of my brain being altered because of my recent Tweeting, Blogging, and time on the internet is more than a little unsettling.
Do I really believe these tools make us dumb or distracted, I say no to maybe on the short term. It is something new; we can’t possibly understand what the long term affects might be to our eyes, brains, reflexes, etc. If the use persists we need to be concerned. Like the loud music hippies and Yippies of my GenX generation, they really did suffer long term hearing loss… it was real, even if they didn’t believe it at the time.
What I am positively sure of in the short term, is that these tools have made us lazy. Does anyone actually walk into a library any more? How about write a long hand letter on special stationary? I feel that their is value in taking time, taking stock and reflecting in a moment that is all ours.
Definition of impatient: Updating Facebook in the bathroom stall…and sending photos to a friend. Yep, I heard it all “going on”.
That I am especially sure can wait…
genxrecon 