The millennial as a generation is an interesting idea in theory but does it hold up to the true test? Would I as a tech savvy, caffeine swilling, video game playing, MTV hating, internet devotee be able to last 24 hours without being hooked up to the life blood of my generation? What I learned in my 24 hours in that the peace of the real world comes with it’s own sour grapes. As the sun rose the Saturday after Black Friday I was asleep like any good shopper. In fact sleeping was an important part of my longest day as I used it to get through the times my family wanted to do anything that was media related. I decided to stay in the house to make sure I stayed away from any media that gave me some time to read books and played card games with my cousins who were visiting from New York. While these things took up much of my time I cannot say that I did not wonder what the score was of the football game or what my friends were up to. After a while I felt cut off from the world and even though I had the company of my family there was a part of me that was lonely. This revelation honestly surprised me and I began to wonder if I really was dependent on all my gadgets. Postman believed that we were climbing into our own imprisonment as a society but I believe he had it backwards, when I was disconnected from the media I stepped into an entirely new prison where I lost contact with the people who mattered to me, my friends. I cannot say that as a society we are not being circled by the vultures of Hollywood who broadcast the lives of the rich and infamous but being connected brings other benefits such as instant communication in seconds with only our thumbs. McLuhan never rang more true then when he said that “The Medium is the Message” because AIM and text messaging as mediums have created a new message for the millennials stating loud and clear that we are connected. Being in constant communication does not cheapen our relationships; it makes personal and face to face interaction more meaningful. Being disconnected from the media was a challenge and the entire time I did feel like I could be doing something better but being disconnected helped me understand the importance and how much I came to rely on what I use daily.
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3 comments:
"Being in constant communication does not cheapen our relationships; it makes personal and face to face interaction more meaningful."
That really stood out to me because I think it's so true. Personally, I'm in a long distance relationship, so me and my boyfriend communicate almost solely through the media. But when we see each other, there is no comparison. When he's here, theres almost no need for the phone or computer.
As for us being dependent on media, I think thats an unfair assumption. Just because we can't deprive ourselves of media for 24 hours without missing it a little, doesn't mean we rely too much on it. There should just be a balance, it's as simple as that.
I have to agree with you and Liz. I hardly see my friends from high school anymore, and even though we talk occasionally online, there is no replacement for person on person interaction. Its always a big deal because of that lack of face to face communication.
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