Are We Being Dumbed Down and Becoming Too Overexposed???

New media technology has been trumpeted for giving a voice to the younger generation and also giving them an outlet to hone and unleash their creativity, youthful exuberance and dynamism. It is also being hailed for being the repository of immense amounts of information since the creation of library. However, the one big question that remains to be answered is what will be the impact of new media technology to them. On one level, some educators and even employers are lamenting that our generation have become people of minimum or rudimentary communication skills. In an article from Newsweek in 2005 entitled “The End Of The Word As We Know It” foresees the visual media as substituting the written word. With the explosion of YouTube right before our eyes and development of technology that will enable users to break up, download and watch lengthy videos, it seems as though he is right on target. However, I certainly hope it does not come to pass. There are things that are better seen then read and conversely, there are things that are better read than seen. After all, no amount of visual interpretation will be able to compare with written description contained in the works of authors such as like William Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis or even the Bible, which is the possibly the most visual piece work ever written in history. Another Newsweek article (The Dumbest Generation? Do Not Be Dumb) reviews a book written by a professor from Emory University regarding the impact of the new media on the younger generation. While the author of the article acknowledges that an easy access to information may have us less concerned with knowing information than where to find it, the author argues that we have not lost the skill to think critically and analytically. He defends the “accusations” by reminding us that this has happened before like the case of Victorian scholars considering Charles Dickens a lightweight when compared to heavyweights of English literature like Shakespeare, among others.

On another level, although new media allows our inner artists to be channeled, sociologists are lamenting that the younger generations are in danger of overexposing ourselves as indicated in another Newsweek article entitled “Here's Looking at You, Kids”. Furthermore, they are also questioning whether relationships created and fostered online can be intimate and real and whether the people of the younger generation are losing their identities for the sake of painting an image they want the world to see. I have to agree with the author of the article and there are some things that are better left unsaid or better yet, unseen. I have to agree with the author of the article, there are some things that are better left unsaid or better yet, unseen. Although the actual outcome has yet to be seen, a simple analysis show that we are increasingly becoming a generation of “instants”, from instant foods to instant information and relationships. Yet it not yet to too late for us to stem tide. It may be useful for us to turn our computers once in a while and experience the real world more often, which is more ultimately satisfying and gratifying than anything what is artificial.

When Companies Start Thinking Small

Any technology that has been developed inevitably affects and changes the way human society. It is no different with new media. However, what makes the new media technology different and stand out from the other technologies can be attributed to the swiftness with which it has gained acceptance in the society. Possibly, the most enduring effect new media has given is that it has provided for niche areas to be heard, whether they may be underground artists or smaller business. An excellent illustration of this phenomenon is illustrated in the NY Times article entitled “Unboxed: Even the Giants Can Learn to Think Small”, Avocent Technologies, an IT management utilized the power of collaboration technologies. The developers, testers and the customers have difficulty in communicating in accomplishing a project. The company overhauled its system and used collaboration technologies to integrate the inputs of all three entities which resulted in smoother and clearer interaction among them. Furthermore, the company increased production threefold while reducing project costs and eliminating the need to hire new employees. If other companies can adopt and nurture and nurture a similar concept, this will not only increase the diversification of the companies' business interests and their competitiveness but also give them an advantage in the global marketplace for exploring new avenues and improving old ones.

New Media and the Presidential Politics

The influence of new media on our society is none more pronounced than the upcoming preseidential elections. CNN and YouTube colloborated to hold debates during the primaries. The candidates announced their candidacies online and have used the power of the Internet in generating funds in the wake of restrictions imposed by the campaign finance reform act. Moreover, the frequency and level of usage employed by the candidates running for the presidency is unprecedented. They are utilizing new media technology to engage and coax the younger generation to actively participate actively in choosing the next president. This element can be attributed to a higher voter turnout among the young people during the primaries. However, the results for the candidates are a mixed bag. Taking a cue and learning from the miscues from Howard Dean on the 2004 elections, Barack Obama, more than any other candidate, was successful in using the new media to his advantage in generating a groundswell of support even when it wasn’t seem that he will win the nomination early on. The New York Times article entitled “Finding Political News Online, the Young Pass It On” illustrates the sharp contrast between Mr Obama and the other candidates in attaining support from the younger voters. On the contrary, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have somewhat struggled to connect with the younger voters. In another New York Times article entitled "To ’08 Hopefuls, Media Technology Can Be Friend or Foe" , it describes the efforts with which Mrs Clinton is trying to revamp her image. However, it was more difficult in Mrs Clinton’s case since she and her husband has smartly used the medium of television beginning the period leading up to Bill Clinton’s candidacy and his eventual reign for 8 years as president.

It was a bold step on the part of the presidential candidates in trying to reach out to the younger generation, most of whom have distate for politics. To accomplish this by engaging and interacting with them using the tools and the language they speak is a step forward in the right direction especially when voter turnout for US presidential elections are astoundingly low. In this day and age wherein America is at crossroads with regards to its position in the world, it is imperative for the people holding influential positions, and not just government officials, to engage, to persuade and to listen to what we have to say. Who knows we may find or heardsomebody who may say something sensible and of relevance in a world that is increasingly gone upside down. And after all, the consequences of their actions (and non-actions) and decisions (as well as indecisions and non-decisions) will be felt the most by us and the future generations to come.