Amusing Ourselves to Death (with Technology)
American critic and educator, Neil Postman (1931-2003), provides a thought-provoking attack on television and what it does to us in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death. His main theme under discussion refers to the decline of the printed word and the ascendancy of the “tube” with its tendency to present everything from news to entertainment. First written in 1985, Amusing Ourselves to Death, provided a landmark in the way that Postman considered the way in which electronic media was shaping and would shape our culture. With the advent and major changes in technology today, Postman’s references carry even more significance.
Postman makes the point that technologies do not add to society but transform it. Wright (2009) states that “It is therefore naive for us to think that modern electronic technologies are merely additives to society. In schools they are changing practice but in the broader sense they are changing the way learners make sense of their world”. Wright (2009) continues by identifying that text messaging, social networking sites, email and blogs have and “… are making major changes to the way we connect, and in particular the way school age students do”. As educators, we need to consider effective ways for using technology. We need to set examples of good practice and encourage learners to engage at higher and deeper levels of thinking and discussion. As Wright (2009) points out, our discussions with learners should consider “… just how technology is changing their world”.
A though provoking read and well worth hunting down in the library, book shop, or even using technology to find it online!
Reference
Postman, N. (1985). Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Penguin: USA.
Wright, T. (2009). SHORE reports: from the Headmaster.
