Frontline- Digital Nation: The Dumbest Generation?

Summary

PBS’ video segment “The Dumbest Generation?” from Frontline’s Digital Nation makes the claim that because of the multiple distractions offered by today’s forms of media, today’s youth are not as “intellectually capable” as in previous generations. That new media allows for greater accessibility to information is a double-edged sword for today’s students. This phenomenon is especially relevant to college students, who were the primary focus of the segment. The same remarkable invention that allows students to browse scholarly papers online from the comfort of their homes also offers a plethora of distractions such as Facebook and YouTube, in addition to digital music and cell phones. One particularly interesting change from older generations identified by the segment was the current habit students have of “writing in paragraphs.” Because of the increased level of distractions, the student will write a paragraph and then become distracted by something else, then repeat the cycle. This causes a disjointed feel that keeps the paper from properly flowing like those written in a few focused sittings, (typewriter-style!) In addition to such disjointed studying, students are also taking shortcuts in their assignments. Professors are saying in polls and studies that students come to their classes less prepared than they should be, and lacking basic skills that students at their level used to have. One professor said he couldn’t “assign a book over 200 pages”, or it wouldn’t hold the students’ interest. Resources such as Sparknotes are making reading assigned material more and more unnecessary.

PBS’ Frontline is “American public television's flagship public affairs series”(from their website) The series aims to investigate controversial/relevant issues and educate the American public at large, or at least those that watch PBS. PBS, as a station and a source of information/news is known to be quite reliable. Its non-profit status lends to it a credibility not found in most current news stations. Frontline especially is known to have a reputation for being objective and unbiased, and has won several awards, including five Peabody awards. At stake for PBS in reporting this information is the education of the American public, as well as its reputation for reliability and accuracy of information. The call made by this segment, as with most of Frontline’s documentaries, is for Americans to act upon this information and seek to better the situation being reported on. The general strategy is to inform first, and let the viewers take whatever action they feel is necessary/possible in their own lives.

Inquiry

For the most part, I would have to agree with the claims made by this segment. There are so many more distractions today than there were in previous generations. Because there are so many things that you can do with the internet, so many articles to read, so many games to play, so much to learn about, etc. it’s almost impossible not to succumb to the temptation to multi-task while doing homework. The power that the techonology sitting in front of you holds is like a constant itch in your brain. You have to scratch it, even if that entails looking at your Facebook feed every few minutes, compulsively. I must admit that I have almost exactly some of the same problems that were identified in the segment. The “paragraph writing” completely fits the way I write my essays, and sometimes it seems like it takes me forever to churn out a complete essay, and by the time I do, I’ve forgotten some of what I’ve said in earlier portions of the paper. And assigned novels? This semester in my English 109 class, we were supposed to read Moby-Dick, spaced out over the course of several weeks. I barely touched the book, and used Sparknotes to gain the general gist of the novel as well as its themes. I got a decent grade on the essay for the novel, and moved on with life. It’s not that I don’t enjoy reading, it’s simply the amount of other work I had to do, as well as the distractions technology offers that I’m not great at resisting in the first place. And I’ll also admit that while writing this very blog post, my work was diverted by YouTube and Facebook. Student productivity is certainly not what it was.

Discussion questions:

1. 1. Do you feel, as a student, that the distractions of today’s technology/media significantly cut down on your level of productivity and your intellectual capabilities?

2. 2. Did older generations, in your opinion, have an environment that was more conducive to academic achievement?

3. 3. What steps do you think should be taken to remedy this situation, or if you believe that you are not hampered substantially by new media, what steps do you take to ensure this?

Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year Olds(Re-Post)

Summary

“Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year Olds” is a study published in 2005 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on health care issues/policy in the United States. The study focuses on the role of media and technology in the lives of 8-18 year olds during the time when it was conducted, and how that role has changed from earlier years. Specifically, it concentrates on the amount of media usage of young people, including time spent watching TV, playing video games, and using a computer. The study also collected data on such factors as how many televisions were in the household, how (and if) media usage was limited, if the young person had their own television/video game system, etc. Some facts and figures: 68% of kids surveyed had their own televisions, 31% had their own computer, and less than half said their family has rules concerning TV watching/video game playing/listening to music. On average, kids spent nearly 6.5 hours a day engaging in the use of media, over four hours of which was spent in front of the television.

The main purpose of the study is to highlight the importance of media in today’s youth: “Without question, this generation truly is the media generation, devoting more than a quarter of each day to media…anything that takes up this much space in young people’s lives deserves our full attention.” Past this however, the paper refrains from making judgments or calling for a certain action. The main focus is simply to study the media usage patterns of young people and report them to the academic world, as well as the public at large, for the purpose of further study and action on the part of others in response to this data. From the website of the Kaiser Family Foundation, “We serve as a non-partisan source of facts, information, and analysis for policymakers, the media, the health care community, and the public.” Overall, what the Kaiser Family Foundation has at stake in the presentation of these findings is the building and maintenance of their image as a reliable source of relevant information.

Inquiry

Based upon the data being presented, I would certainly agree with the claim made by the Kaiser Family Foundation that media plays a central role in the lives of our youth. Even before reading the data in the paper, it was clear to me how prevalent media is in our society, especially with young people. I myself engage in the use of media quite heavily, especially as a college student. My computer is essential to a successful experience here as an undergraduate student, and that is something that won’t change as my college career progresses. All of the information, assignments, essays, etc. that I need to do well in all of my classes are stored in this one machine, which I use even now as I respond to this study. I would also agree with the claim that the role of media in the lives of young people is a very important one, and that with these figures in mind, steps should be taken to make sure that media usage is regulated in such as way as to be as beneficial as possible for people growing up. There is a line between the abuse of technology and the various forms of entertainment and communication available, and the use of it in such a way as to enrich one’s life. For an example of this, one has to look no further than Facebook. There are a variety of activities to engage in through Facebook, some of which encourage intellectual discussion and others which are simply mindless game-playing. Groups that users can join to state their opinion on an issue/debate it make for a relatively effective use of time, while the option to play Flash games through Facebook only adds to the numerous distractions of the internet, and the amount of hours kids and young adults spend on their computers.

Discussion Questions

1. 1. How important of a role would you say media plays in your life?

2. 2. Do you believe that media, in general, is too prevalent in our society/culture, especially for young people (ages 8-18)?

3. What steps should be taken to increase the benefits that media has in kids’ lives/what steps should be taken to reduce any harmful effects that media may have on kids?