Is our ability to follow long arguments, to process information well, and to meditate on the “big picture” suffering from a sea of triviality? The elite will keep reading, but is the “middlebrow” class, those who read well and kept the republic moving, disappearing?
As a teacher, my experience with students indicates that this article (while a bit overstated) is mostly right in its analysis.
Mental development takes time and practice. What if nobody takes the time? Could it be that we are marketing habits to young adults that are not helpful?
Mental acuity and attention are skills that can degrade. If you don’t read a long book for a while, then it is harder to read a long book when you finally pick one up.
The usual reaction to such a piece (see the comments) is to respond “adults are always worried about such things and nothing ever comes of it.” There might be something to that, if this was not a problem that was progressive where a “tipping point” could be reached.
Television was a problem as an academic distraction as early as the fifties, but whether on the playground or on the school bus, there were plenty of places you could not watch television or listen to music easily.
I love technology and am an early adopter, but too much of anything isn’t great. Television is still consuming hours of our time and now video can ben watched everywhere.
Whether we are “doomed” (probably not!) or just needing some moderation in our media habits (surely!), most of us need practical tips in getting our media habits in control. Here is what my family is trying:
First, no “solitary media” on school days. If we watch a movie Monday through Friday, we are trying to make sure it is a family experience. In our family, anything we do together is active (discussion!) and not passive. At Lent the Reynolds go media free. Try it for forty days. You will hate it at first, but then (almost!) dread the end of Lent.
Second, no earbuds with people (planes are an exception). When we are with people (especially folks we love), then we should talk with them. Life does not need a sound track and we are trying to limit our use of the Ipod to places (like the gym) where it gives us control of the music/audio we hear. The gym pumps music at us and the Ipod helps us avoid it. I must admit, however, that listening to the Brothers K in the gym and having the audio from the loudspeakers occasionally intrude leads to some fun moments.
Imagine hearing Stacy’s Mom playing, while listening to Tolstoy’s description of Anna plunging into darkness through her misuse of passion . . . all the while running on an endless treadmill with CNN returning all the Obama fit to film. Quite educational really, an audio triptych of the new and old culture.
Third, (and this is a hard one for me) with rare exceptions email needs to be checked twice a day and not more often. My phone should stay off or not be answered when in meetings with other people. (This seems obvious, but it is tempting to check email during meetings.)
Fourth, my Google reader is fine for the “news reading” time in the morning, but does not need to be checked again for the day.
Fifth, my extended reading free time (longer articles or books) should equal my “quick read” or video time. It does not matter, of course, whether the book is on-line (no Kindle yet for me!) or on paper, but the length and difficulty does.
Some of this is so obvious and simply good manners, that I am ashamed to say we are still struggling to do it. I am the worst of all! I love being “in touch” and getting information. I have to resist “multitasking” at every turn. My darling wife is helping me with this hard challenge and we will let you know how it goes.