Splicetoday

Digital
Apr 30, 2008, 05:45AM

Kill Your Television, If You Even Have One Anymore

Any luddities longing for a simpler age when technology didn't corrupt the human spirit are having a tough time these days. As this writer points out, digital online media provides many more targets for technophobic rage than the good old fashioned boob tube.

"We grew up in a whirlwind of text messages, custom cell phone rings, wall posts and e-mails; we've matured in a dizzying blitz of Web surfing, IM back-and-forths, viral videos and Web memes.

There's been, for the past 10 years, a nonstop storm of information and communication.

Recently, in particular, daily existence has been at once shrunken and accelerated. Everything and everyone is a click or scroll away, accessed with minimal energy and maximum speed.

Haven't heard that song-download it. Haven't seen that episode-grab it on iTunes. Haven't watched that "hilarious" homemade video-troll YouTube.

And check DrudgeReport, too. Check Digg. Check PerezHilton and Gawker. Check your friend's blog (it's boring, but there's no friendship without duty).

Send an instant message. Update your away status. "Friend" the kid you met last weekend.

More and more often, it seems "killing our televisions" might not be nearly enough. Imagine killing our computers ("But how would we learn?"), our iPods ("But how would we endure the gym?"), our cell phones ("But how would we talk?").

READ MORE

Discussion

Register or Login to leave a comment