Digital Nation

On Monday night I went to a viewing of the film "Digital Nation" (Frontline, 2010) which was a part of the "technology fast" this week at St. Mike's. The film discusses the global issue of social media and virtual realities as a shaping and influential factor in how we (as a society) view new technology and embrace all that it has to offer (and take away).

One staggering fact that was given at the beginning of the talk was that 1/3 of teenagers send more than 100 texts per day. When do they find the time to do this? Going off of that, the film makes it clear that no one really takes a "vacation" anymore. We are always attached in some way to the working world because we are finding that the lines between work and leisure are increasingly being blurred. This idea strongly relates to what is written in "The Third Screen."

A main point of the film was that this new technology is changing the way that teachers teach because they need to stimulate their students on another level: they have to use technology to keep their interest. However, classic psychology tells us that it is impossible to multitask; that our brains simply are not built for it. So how do we decide the manner in which we should be teaching children? The world has sped up and education generally hasn't; should we be teaching multitasking? One research study found that students that do something around 6 things at one time are actually slower at completing those tasks. This is because they are not working effectively. The filmmaker states that technology is "changing what it means to be a human being."

Another main issue that is presented in the documentary is video games and virtual realities. The film looks at video arcades in South Korea, and how many young men (high school age) are becoming addicted to them. Some doctors are even saying that it may be a psychiatric disorder. Therefore, the Korean government opened up three "internet rescue schools" where young men would learn to live without their gadgets and games and get back to nature and the value of face-to-face friendships.

What may be causing these addictions? It is certainly hard to say, but it's important to note that Korean children are taught to go online and read at the same time (at the same age). But they are also taught to use online resources responsibly. How does this compare to America? Are we doing this as well, or should we be doing this?

The film also states that technology teaches you to have every urge answered and satisfied. It's instant gratification. The film makes the point that many college students write in paragraphs because they feel accomplished after they have gotten a good "snippet" done and they reward themselves by checking facebook, texting, or watching a YouTube video. Personally, I find that this is very true. I try to catch myself when I'm doing it because I'm obviously not working effectively, yet it's hard when you are being stimulated and "pulled" in so many different directions by interesting things online and with friends. Do you find that this is true in your life? If so, how do you balance the "pull" with your own free will to make decisions for yourself? In other words, I'm curious if you feel as though you control your technology, or does technology control you?