Generation Speed 1

Generation Speed Nithya Mohan College of DuPage English 1101 Elizabeth Anderson 09-08-2012

Generation Speed 2 Generation Speed It often takes years to accurately determine the impact of a new element introduced into a population, as ecological studies have shown us. However, with new media, the effects are already significant and discernible. Whether these effects are positive or negative has become the subject of intense discussion between proponents and opponents of the digital age. It is perhaps fitting that a medium whose catchphrase is speed has rapidly changed not only the world we live in but also affected our behavior and altered certain ways our brains function. Though the actual effects of technology have not been conclusively proven and seem contradictory at times, there is growing evidence that new media has rewired us to process, disseminate, and react to information in significantly different ways. We crave and receive everincreasing amounts of visual and aural content. Far from being overwhelmed by this onslaught of information, our brains have become adept at comprehending these various stimuli. Our reactions to events around us have changed in ways that are incomprehensible to those who decry the ubiquity of digital media. Peoples first instinct seems to be to service the sense of vanity and need for instant gratification the digital age has perpetuated, as evidenced by the volume and frequency of social media content updates. Even the manner in which data is shared has undergone a material change in recent years. No wonder our brains are evolving as a response to such constantly shifting stimuli. The human brain is a remarkably adaptive organ; it is incredibly responsive to its environment and shaped by the stimuli it receives, sometimes even into adulthood (Hayles, 2007). The amount of media content the growing brain is exposed to has been trending upwards for the past few years, thanks to the abundance of technology. Moreover, the content itself has become hyper-stimulative and remarkably more complex, argues Steven Johnson (as cited in

Generation Speed 3 Hayles, 2007). As Hayles (2007) concludes, children growing up in media-rich environments literally have brains wired differently than humans who did not come to maturity in such conditions (p. 32). We are able to process more intricate stimuli quicker than previous generations. It is only logical to conclude that todays young children would be even more skilled at it when they grow up than we presently are. The digital data we consume is effectively altering our brains. Perhaps this evolution is why there is an ever-growing need for information to be shared in an efficient mannerswiftly and succinctly. The advent of new media has been a boon to millions of enterprising people in achieving this efficiency. Here is a medium which makes it possible to reach countless others across the globe. What they wish to share may be trivial or be of the utmost importance, but no longer are they limited by funds, geography, or any such constraints. Chris Cramer, global editor of multimedia at Reuters, predicted at a December 2008 media conference in Athens that the public, not journalists, will be covering key global events in the future (as cited in Lam, 2010). Even as he spoke, young Athenians were using social media to organize a rally downtown, which the assembled reporters at the conference were unaware of. (Lam, 2010). This innovative method of distributing information through new media by ordinary people is characteristic of hyper attention. Hyper attention, as defined by Hayles (2007), means having a switching focus between multiple information streams, a need for constant high level of stimulation, and a low tolerance for boredom. The content being shared digitally is concise, highly visual in some way, quick-moving, and far-reaching. In order to catch and hold the attention of a generation accustomed to hyper-stimulation, traditional news outlets have begun using social media to deliver information. Breaking news is first shared through Twitter or Facebook, rather than a television news report; news anchors check and respond to viewers tweets and Facebook

Generation Speed 4 comments on air. News outlets have realized that the only way to stay relevant is to join their audience in the digital revolution. With information-sharing becoming an easy task these days, many fancy themselves to be amateur entertainers and share an abundance of videos, audio, and pictures through social media. Since information is so widely accessible, users try to obtain as big of an audience as they can through the content they share. Often, peoples first reaction to an interesting occurrence is to record it and upload it to YouTube or another such social media platform. Lam (2010) mentions students taking pictures of Professor Bill Nye after he collapsed on stage, instead of trying to help him; and a student in China who recorded himself escaping from a collapsing building as an earthquake hit. Narcissism and voyeurism have become the drivers of the digital world, says Lam (2010, p. 25). Turkle (2011) talks about a runner in the annual marathon in Florence texting as she ran; Turkle immediately tried to take a picture. A recent serial homicide case that shocked the world was perpetrated by the Dnepropetrovsk maniacs as the media dubbed them. Two local boys were arrested for a series of horrifyingly savage murders in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. The major evidence the defense presented that led to their conviction and that of a third conspirator were video of the murders found on the killers cell phones and computers and pictures of them attending funerals of the victims. It has been alleged that selling snuff films over the Internet was the motive for the killings. One of the videos was leaked to a shock site where countless people watched it for the entertainment value. There are many examples of both compassion and viciousness perpetrated through the evolving new media culture. It would be shortsighted to label the technology in simplistic moral terms; technology is best seen as the harbinger of change. As Don Draper from the television show Mad Men put it, Change isnt good or bad; it just is. It is important for us all to remember this

Generation Speed 5 adage as we debate over how the digital world is shaping our lives, our personalities, and maybe our very existence as a society. A glimpse into the past reveals many instances of pioneering ideas and inventions being viewed with suspicion. Time after time, there have been doubts and remonstrations whenever a new kind of technology came into existence. Henry James wrote about the need for unhooking from the grid (as cited in Gopnik, 2011) as early as 1900. History seems to be repeating itself again. We would be wise to heed its lesson that progress cannot be halted, only delayed.

Generation Speed 6 Works Cited Weiner, M. & Humphris, C. (Writers), & Linka Glatter, L. (Director). (2009). Love among the ruins [Television series episode]. In B. McCormick & D. Shattuck (Producers), Mad men. Los Angeles, CA: AMC.