[extropy-chat] No time to think?

[Joseph Bloch]

I'm not so sure...

How do you know that in addition to the music, the text messaging, and 
everything else, they're not thinking as well?

What they're doing is multitasking. I see no reason why "thinking about 
things" can't occupy a piece of brain next to listening to the music. I 
was twenty... gods, no... twenty-five years ago. TV on, painting D&D 
miniatures, browsing through a magazine, and thinking about some of the 
big issues all at the same time, all at the tender age of 14.

Now, the question is, are they being _taught_ to think in addition to 
all the other passive inputs... My four-year-old certainly is. Ten years 
from now, if she can chat with her friends and  watch a concert and 
STILL think about the important things (and recognize what those are), 
I'll be more than content.

Joseph

BillK wrote:

>CNN has an article about the Age of Information Overload.
>
><http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/12/26/information.everywhere.ap/index.html>
>
>With a few keystrokes, we'll soon be able to tap much of the world's
>knowledge. And we'll do it from nearly anywhere -- already, newer
>iPods can carry all your music, digital photos and such TV classics as
>"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" along with more contemporary prime-time
>fare.
>
>Will all this instantly accessible information make us much smarter,
>or simply more stressed? When can we break to think, absorb and ponder
>all this data?
>
>"If you fill every waking minute with more media, you never do any
>independent thinking," Nielsen said. "You may have all the specific
>pieces of information, but the higher level is knowledge and
>understanding. You don't have time for that reflection if it's being
>thrown at you at never-ending streams".
>
>End quotes.
>---------------------
>
>This is what I see happening to the younger generation. They have an
>iPod playing music in their ears, while they read and send text
>messages on their mobile phone, almost oblivious to their surroundings
>or companions.
>
>Do they ever have a quiet time to actually think about things?
>
>BillK
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