Neil Postman's primary point in his book is that the mass media, the entertainment business, and the show business is the reason for us "amusing ourselves to death". He explains that our use of the television, phones, and many other aspects of our culture may cause our society to fall and become similar to the one in Brave New World. Several years have passed since Neil Postman wrote Amusing Ourselves to Death, and since then, there have been many other technilogical advancements and inventions that Neil Postman would have a field day criticizing and blaming for the beginning of our culture to become a Huxleyan society. With these new inventions and creations, how much closer has our society become to that shown in Brave New World?
Internet may be the newest and most dangerous creation since Postman's book was written. It has brought people from across the world together. Also, the internet makes any information accessible, and useless videos and pure entertainment are posted daily. The cell phone has increased the amount of incredibly worthless info passed and shared among people. With every passing day, new useless innovations are created that turn are society closer and closer to Huxley's society in Brave New World as we slowly are "Amusing Ourselves to Death".
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2 comments:
I think Neil Postman would be absolutely horrified. For all of his arguments against television, the internet has taken them and increased them tenfold. And you're right - technologies keep developing, and our journey towrds becoming the World State is accelerating ever more quickly.
I agree with your comment on Internet being the most dangerous creation. It's almost as if all medias were crammed together into one thing where it's all able to be acessed. Even radio is accessable from the Internet! I agree with Jessica as well, Postman would be horrified, as well as proud to think that his ideas were right, though in a way that is nothing to be proud of.
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