Amusing Ourselves With Information in Essay

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People use their computers, pads, pods, smart phones, etc., to check directions, schedules, sales and events, as well as perform work related activities. Technology seems to be completely integrated into modern life, and people use the information within the "web" for a variety of purposes. But the question must be asked as to the nature of this medium of transmitting information, and the effectiveness of it. Is the information being transmitted through this new medium enhancing the individuals' intellectual capacity, or is it being used as a substitute for learning and growing.

In chapter 10 of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman presents his readers with three commandments that television seems to always follow when it comes to the transmitting of information: have no prerequisites, induce no perplexity, and avoid exposition. (Postman, 1985, pp. 147-148) He asserts that these commandments force television to undermine the idea that sequence and continuity impact rational thought, promote the idea that the contentment, and not the intellectual growth of the viewer is important, and to avoid any hints of rational discourse. In effect, to simply present the viewer with the simplest, but most entertaining, program. And this type of impact has only increased with the development of new information technology. The nature of the new technology keeps information limited to "blurbs;" or short bits of information, and these "blurbs" are incomplete.

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They do not encompass other issues and their relation to the information, they do not discuss how this information came to be or what its impact might be, "blurbs" of information only give the individual the immediate gratification of an answer, but an incomplete one at best, and disinformation at worst. Instead of stimulating the intellectual development of individuals, like television, information technology seems to be providing them with limited, incomplete, and misleading information that may satisfy their immediate desire, but does nothing to aid in the development or growth of the individual.

The criticism of television by Neil Postman is founded in a well thought out and logical case in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death; but this criticism is equally applicable, if not more so, to the new technology that has arisen around computers and the internet. This new technology may be able to keep everyone connected to the latest information, but that information is presented in a limited fashion, lacking any real analysis or relativity to the world in general. This new technology, and the medium of "blurbs," has compounded the lack of thoughtful, orderly, rational thought that can be found in books......

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