Chapter 6 covers the topic of Media which encompasses everything from radio, TV, to the internet. No one can argue with the fact that online access is of great value, but it is not without issues of concern.
Let’s begin by looking at this link charting what happens on the internet in a minute https://www.visualcapitalist.com/what-happens-in-an-internet-minute-in-2019/ (Links to an external site.)
As you can see, we are very busy online but notice how a large portion of online activity is concentrated in a handful of sites familiar to us all.
You may not realize but we – in the US and arguably in all advanced nations – are inextricably tied to a handful of tech giants we access everyday directly or indirectly, and in turn relinquish our privacy which they use to generate advertising revenue. Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, YouTube and Microsoft to name a few. Please watch this short video from a journalist who for one week, decided to cut all tech giants from her life and the challenges she faced. Of interest is to see how these tech giants have absorbed hundreds of small companies without facing any government antitrust consequences. By the way, I would read the article too since it’s much more comprehensive and informative than the video is.
https://gizmodo.com/i-cut-the-big-five-tech-giants-from-my-life-it-was-hel-1831304194 (Links to an external site.)
Now, check out the following link and read the entire article – pay close attention to the part addressing “Collective Attention” toward the end of the article.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/5/3/18514330/distraction-collective-attention-research (Links to an external site.)
There are a lot of consequences that can be identified from this phenomenon especially as this generation along with all future generations will never know a world without the internet. For this discussion, give some serious thought and address the following questions:
- Provide some examples of how you see this phenomenon of “Collective Attention” having an effect or influence – positive or negative – in society. This could be in areas of politics, technology, education, religion, entertainment, innovation, or plain general knowledge. Feel free to find an outside supporting source to reference.
- Were you aware of this phenomenon prior to reading the article? How do you think you’ll address this phenomenon in your personal life?
- Of the aforementioned tech giants as depicted on the video, have you ever considered stop using any of them? Which company would you consider removing from your life and what if any, would you replace it with?