Mallory CM410

The article, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr , demonstrates how the internet has affected our overall thinking and our attention spans overtime. Throughout the article, one idea that stood out to me is how personal discipline may play a major role in how we use the internet. Listed in the article are distractions that destroy our attention spans. However, with correct critical thinking and a little bit of concentration we can avoid these distractions entirely.  On another note, I do agree with Nicholas Carr when he discusses how we form connections to many of our electronic devices (cell phones, computers, etc.). They do make our lives easier but they can be easily distracting. Once reading "Is Google Making Us Stupid", it makes you worried and cautious of the fact that we can easily become enslaved to technology. As mentioned above, I do not entirely agree that the distractions can not be overcome, but it does allow the risk of loosing our critical

The song, " The Last DJ "  was released in 2002 by artist,   Tom Petty . In the song, Petty  complains  about all he sees wrong in the rock era where multinational companies are involved. Overall, the song is about free-form radio coming to an end. In the late '90's, with the corporate takeover of radio stations, came DJ's who were forced to start computerizing  their  playlists and  recording  shows beforehand.  This method  ultimately  saves the owners money and is  actually  more  efficient for radio and public shows.  A  lyric in the song states, "Well, the top brass don't like him talking so much, and he won't play what they say to play." In this verse, he is describing how the "DJ" isn't listening to big corporate heads and still playing and recording music the way DJ's always have . I appreciate Petty''s willingness to speak up on an issue that was so overlooked by  media  in this era of music.   Fun Fact:

Now I am really confused. This article by Annie Sneed  is similar but much more compelling for me than the Smithsonian article. A lot of what is sad backs up my original theory that reading on screen is a bad innovation and that paper still needs to be used. In one section the article states, " But this style of reading may come at a cost—Liu noted in his study that sustained attention seems to decline when people read onscreen rather than on paper, and that people also spend less time on in-depth reading. “In digital, we can link in different media, images, sound, and other text, and people can get overwhelmed,” explains Andrew Dillon". I, myself, have always believed that paper has the advantage due to the physicalness of it  and when I read on screen I tend to get a headache easily. However, I am still open minded when it comes to others opinions on the subject. Honestly, it comes down to personal preference in most ways. 

After reading the article Smithsonian article, "Reading in a Whole New Way" . My ideas of what I think about new technology have somewhat changed. I used to believe reading was better for everyone in paper form. To me it is more easier and more fun. However, I now think it is a positive change for certain individuals. Some people never read anywhere but online, sometimes because it’s easy to access through their smart phone or they may not receive newspapers, etc. It is also a lot more convent to read online due to imbedded links and definitions that would normally have to be looked up separately when reading paper. I believe this is a real demand in today world and will only get bigger.

Just watched The Wilderness Downtown Video and I have to say I defiantly wasn't prepared. Knowing that it is possible for my street and house to be put in to a video like this is super creepy. I also now have a catchy song stuck in my head, that will be very hard to make go away. All in all I am no longer a fan of the video but I am a fan of the technology. Here is the link to play your own video:  http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com

I am a child of the Digital Generation. All of my memories from childhood to the present day have involved computers, electronics, and the internet. Growing up I watched the electronic and digital age around me flourish in my home but also in educational settings. The internet and other digital mediums used to be a luxury. However, throughout the past decade it has turned into a need for all age groups.