Texting and Risky Behavior

I recently read about some new research that shows teens who text over 120 times a day are more likely to have had sex or used alcohol and drugs.  While the research doesn't suggest they are directly related, there does seem to be some sort of link between excessive text messaging and risky behavior.  I'd like to think that texting became big when I was in high school 7 or 8 years ago.  Text messaging for sure had been around before that but new phones were being produced that made text messaging easier and more fun.  Kids would do it in class to take their minds off a boring teacher or subject.  I know first hand that most of those texts were not discussing tips on how to eat healthier or what after school clubs people were going to join to help the community.  Ha, more often than not those texts entailed plans for the weekend such as whose parents were away or what time they were going to be here or there.  Shocking for any parent to read this, I know.  But that was the reality, correction IS the reality, and it's only going to get worse as technology continues to develop and people get more and more sucked in.  Don't get me wrong, texting can serve an important purpose among teens like when they need a pickup or even to let their parents know where they are at all times.  However, texting succeeds extremely well in accomplishing one thing; removing us from reality.  Instead of having normal conversations with the human beings around us and interacting with REALITY, we feel the need to give our full attention to a screen whether it be a phone, computer, or television. 

In one of my other courses, students regularly have to present a project they've been working on.  Due to the liberal nature of the professor (who would never reprimand anyone for anything), students in the class feel free to bring their laptops in and from the very beginning of class tune out from everything else around them.  For the entire hour and 15 minutes the eyes of these students did not leave the screen and on top of that they had their phones in hand.   I found it funny (but really insanely rude) that when it came time for the routine round-of-applause after a student's presentation, they decided to clap anyway without removing their eyes from the screen and without having heard ANY of what the student presented.  What are we as a human race coming to?

The Electronic Book Burning

It's no surprise in this age of technological advancement that the death of the printed word is inevitable.  The Kindle allows people to store thousands of texts on one electronic device.  I wish this had come around earlier, I could have saved a bajillion dollars on textbooks.  It's not just the Kindle, the Internet is contributing to the fading out of books, newspapers, magazines etc.  Some book publishers have a problem with that while others, who publish books for a profitable living and not to have as a physical artifact, do not have a problem.  I understand why some are hesitant to make the swith from printed to electronic.  The book is a human artifact that has been such a big part of our lives for centuries.  This is a whole new era that is forcing itself upon us ever so quickly.  I'm all for the shift but I will definitely miss reading my Daily News.  My question is, with everyone staring at screens all day, what will this change do to our overrall visibility?

FAIL

Relating to Chuck Klosterman's excerpt from "Eating The Dinosaur" comes easy.  Technology really has become the center of most people's lives without fully understanding its impact.  People rely heavily on the everyday use of technology and they absolutely love it.  It's educational advancement, right?  If everyone only knew that it's actually detrimental to our intelligence then they would come to hate it as well, like Klosterman.  However, it would probably remain the most important aspect of their lives, like Klosterman.  Technology has become an addictive drug that has only short-term postive effects and a negative long-term impact.  Even at the moment, technology is keeping me from writing this blog before class and before the deadline.  FAIL

"NFL Player Found Dead"

"New techniques of communication bring a transformation of thinking, which then transfroms culture."
-Neil Postman

ESPN is a major network known for its constant attempts to update its technology and how they communicate with their fans; always trying to keep them entertained.  SportCenter's fancy design of showing the sports topics of the day on the side of the screen surprised me quite a bit recently.  It was after a Monday Night Football game when SportsCenter did it's usual recap of the game.  Since it's the only NFL game of the day, ESPN devotes quite a bit of their time recapping the game.  Anyways, on the side of the screen the next topic was "NFL Player Found Dead" and I assumed they would immediately cut to that segment because, ya know, somebody DIED!  However, the anchor continued to talk about the game that had already been over for some time.  I was more and more shocked as time went on and wondered why the hell they weren't saying anything about it yet.  Granted, maybe the anchor wasn't informed yet, but somebody a the studio must have known or else they wouldn't have put it on the screen.  The only reason I'm writing about this is because it ended up taking 10+ minutes before they even said something about it.  10 minutes! 10 minutes of showing the same highlights over and over and talking about the teams' upcoming schedules and who's going to be hurt or what not; entertainment for the fans.  Turns out that player committed suicide.  What a shame.

J-E-T-S

Heyyooo. My class assignment is to post about my interactions with the media.  Given the time of year, it's no surprise to those who know me that I'd be talking about the Jets....and not the Mets (given the time of year.)  Growing up a die hard Mets and Jets fan, I'm used to the heartache.  But with the Jets early success this year (3-0 in the division) and all the hype about them being Super Bowl contenders, it's easy for me to get excited.  There are certain things that can kill that excitement though.  For instance, I was getting myself ready to watch the Jets/Dolphins game 2 weeks ago on Sunday night....and then Faith Hill came on the screen.  I don't know why NBC insists and producing those awful, painfully long Faith Hill introductions before a game.  It's so uncomfortable to watch and further proves Neil Postman's theory that we're "Amusing Ourselves To Death" (a book we read in class.)  As if we needed entertainment, poor entertainment at that, before we're going to be entertained.  Rex Ryan's press conferences are entertainment enough.

Now on to the Mets, my heart and soul (unfortunately.)  They never cease to break my heart ever year, yet every spring I get excited for another long and brutal year.  Having recently fired their manager/GM, the Mets have made a habit in the past of wrongfully firing their manager (i.e. Willie Randolph) for the sake of pleasing their fans or "entertaining" their fans.  Everybody knows New York is the toughest city to play/manage in.  However, this time it was much needed.  To quote a family member of mine on being a Mets fan:
"It's like being in love with an alcoholic.  You constantly defend her and people are like 'Dude, your alcoholic friend is a mess,' and you're like 'Nah, you don't know her like I do.'"

I still love you my alcoholic friend, see ya next year.