When it comes to technology, I'm a Heideggerian: “Everywhere we remain unfree and chained to technology, whether we passionately affirm or deny it."
I enjoyed the honor of interviewing Neil Postman for a newspaper many years ago. He was generous to a fault with his time.
Postman told me that he believed only formal media studies could help us see that we're in chains; without studying media, we're hopeless as citizens, because, like fish in a fishbowl, we can't step outside our media-saturated environment.
``Media education involves understanding the role technology plays in shaping cognitive habits, political ideas, and social behavior,'' he said.
Postman then explained what comprises media studies entail.
Media studies entail, among other things, monitoring your own consumption of media, to see how the different media structure your experiences, order your time, and stimulate your senses.
Media studies also entail learning to look for the ways in which the various media portray values, ideas, and stereotypes; and how messages are shaped by owners, advertisers, producers, editors, publicists, political handlers, and the many other professionals who work in what Postman called the ``consciousness industries.''
Thought-provoking post!
When it comes to technology, I'm a Heideggerian: “Everywhere we remain unfree and chained to technology, whether we passionately affirm or deny it."
I enjoyed the honor of interviewing Neil Postman for a newspaper many years ago. He was generous to a fault with his time.
Postman told me that he believed only formal media studies could help us see that we're in chains; without studying media, we're hopeless as citizens, because, like fish in a fishbowl, we can't step outside our media-saturated environment.
``Media education involves understanding the role technology plays in shaping cognitive habits, political ideas, and social behavior,'' he said.
Postman then explained what comprises media studies entail.
Media studies entail, among other things, monitoring your own consumption of media, to see how the different media structure your experiences, order your time, and stimulate your senses.
Media studies also entail learning to look for the ways in which the various media portray values, ideas, and stereotypes; and how messages are shaped by owners, advertisers, producers, editors, publicists, political handlers, and the many other professionals who work in what Postman called the ``consciousness industries.''