Most people who read Amusing Ourselves to Death would agree with me that the content on television and the internet is junk. But then again, aren't all forms of entertainment simply junk? Even the oldest ones. Going to football games and amusement parks, watching films, and going to the circus (which has been around since the Roman Empire) serve to us no other purpose than to kill time. So why freak out about the junk on media?
I believe that the reason why amusment on television and the internet is so dangerous is because their content is broadcasted worldwide, it is also relatively available to everyone, and as Postman said in chapter 5, "it would not only permit but insist upon a conversation..." Therefore, we are forced by this insistence to keep ourselves amused. We do not allow ourselves to reflect about the most relevant topics - from public life to the effect of lack of values - because thinking is displaced by amusement and even considered overrated.
Do you think that this social phenomenon is inevitable? Stoppable? Or is it something we should not worry about, since it's just another way of having fun?
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I think the difference between past entertainment and today's mass media is that before it was simply nothing other than a way to kill time. However over time it has transformed into this monstrous thing that is not only part of our lives, but has become our lives. What we eat, wear and think is an extension of entertainment.
ReplyDeleteWhen we think about entertainment in this time period we often think about something that is simple-minded and not informative and boring. So most of the stuff we see doesn't always teach us how to live life like they used to in biblical times. Also nowadays, television isn't as much censored like they used to be, so entertainers create shows to amuse us any way they can.
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