Short attention spans aren’t just a side-effect of television. Television is designed to shorten attention spans.
I got this idea after finishing John Taylor Gatto‘s excellent book Dumbing Us Down. Gatto writes mostly about the poor state of schooling, but also puts a good deal of blame on TV.
I was also happy to see that Doc quoted Gatto’s book in a recent Suitwatch column in Linux Journal.
If you haven’t read the book yet, do it.
TV is no worse than any other technology that is common place in our lives today. Microwaves, cell phones, computers. Aren’t they all designed to shorten our attention spans?
The Tele gets a bad rap for this. It’s an easy target because it’s the most used of all of these great inventions. But it’s certainly no worse than a computer. Or a cell phone.
Don’t you think your attention span is affected by the barrage of emails and instant messages you receive during a normal work day?
Besides, American Idol is down to the last 3 contestants.
TV is a one-way medium. It’s designed to take you for a ride. You can steer email and cellphones, webpages and the like. I don’t know what you’re talking about with the microwave.
TV affects your brain’s ability to focus. Research backs this up.
Now, put down that remote and pick up a book, hopefully Dumbing Us Down.
Are you sure that book’s not about this blog? 😉
Research also shows that computers are actually making kids dumber. Yet why no backlash against the computer? Why do demand that every kid have access to a computer yet praise those who banish the TV?
It’s because it’s all the rage to bash television. The perception is if you don’t watch or even have a TV at all, well, then you MUST be smart. The reality is it’s not TV that’s making people dumb. It’s their lack of intelligence.
Put down the hater-aide and try watching “Good Eats” on the Food Network.
I’m calling BS. Post me some links to some legitimate research that computers make kids dumber and I may believe you.
And if TV gets bashed, its because it damn well deserves it.
Television breeds short attention spans. By its very nature.
Does Radio deserved to be bashed too? By your logic it breeds short attention spans.
“How computers make kids dumb”
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/21/how_dumb_kids/
“A study of 100,000 pupils in 31 countries around the world has concluded that using computers makes kids dumb. Avoiding PCs in the classroom and at home improved the literacy and numeracy of the children studied”
I have no basis for arguing whether TV does or doesn’t shorten your attention span. Let’s assume that it does. How does it then follow that because you have a short attention span you are dumber than people with longer attention spans?
To quote one of my favorite web sites, what are your parameters? How is “dumb” being defined? Does it mean the folks with shorty attention spans are less likely to solve a complex math problem than the folks with longer ones? Even if that’s true, does it matter?
What about workplace productivity? I have seen countless examples in the workplace of younger employees who can run circles around their older counterparts because they are able to multitask much better. These younger workers were brought up in the MTV generation of quick-cut videos, video games, email, the web, IM, etc. They are able to get more out of their day because they can switch context much more easily.
This is obviously a generalization and I’m not implying that younger workers are better than older ones. I’m saying that there are cases where having a short attention span can be a good thing.
I haven’t read this book, but I’m sick of people who blame anything and everyone except themselves for the poor state of education in this country. Look in the mirror. It’s our fault. It’s not TV’s fault that Little Johnny is failing in school. What about Little Johnny’s parents who use the TV as a surrogate for spending any quality time with him? Why are they not helping him with his homework? Why are they not going to his teacher conferences? Why are they not putting pressure on their elected officials to do something about the sorry state of schools in this country?
What a joke. These are the same people that blame guns and alcohol for killing people and conveniently forget about the idiots who abuse guns and alcohol that really kill people.
I guess we don’t have time to take a good hard look at ourselves though. Not with “The Apprentice” finale coming on tonight.
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the blizzog @ jamiegaines.com
I believe it was Homer Simpson who said, “Television gives us so much and asks for so little in return.”
You can have my DVR when you pry it from my cold dead hands!!!
Matt
Short attention spans != dumbness. I didn’t really say that it did, though you could read that into it by the way I connected it with Gatto’s book.
Computers can be just as bad as television for taking kids time, sure, but it has the potential for adding so much more.
I’ll get to your other points when I get time.
And to think you were going to address these issues when you had more time. Hmmmm …. now who exactly has the short attetion span 🙂