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Wednesday, September 11, 2013
"Mind Over Mass Media" and "Outdoors and Out of Reach"
Here is Steven Pinker's op-ed article from The New York Times, "Mind Over Mass Media," and here is the link to Matt Richtel's "Outdoors and Out of Reach." These two articles seem to be written from opposing viewpoints. Which one, in your opinion, builds the strongest case in its discussion of technology and the brain?
You can post comments on both articles below.
You can post comments on both articles below.
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I really enjoyed Outdoors and out of Reach. I think we can all apply ourselves to this. To learn that if we take a step back we can see what we are really like and change our habits and not get addicted to technology.
ReplyDelete“experience can change the brain.” But cognitive neuroscientists roll their eyes at such talk.
ReplyDeleteWhat does that say about the science sited in the first articles we have read this semester?
I spend 1 week a year in Lake Powell - (if anyone wants to share their notes with me the first week of oct) - and 7 days with no technology is exactly what this brain needs. I feel like a different person when I get back.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else make a point to take time off on a regular basis? How does it affect you?
ReplyDeleteI do for sure. Mostly when something is stressing me out. Ill get my mountain bike and just go for a ride. Makes me put my focus on biking and the trail rather than obsessing about maybe a paper that is due or a math test. Its really a stress reliever and it does help.
DeleteThere were 2 major points that sparked ideas in my brain.
ReplyDeleteFirst, "Mr. Strayer, the trip leader, argues that nature can refresh the brain." It is completely true, (*religion alert), the mountains is where Jesus and other prophets in the bible go when they needed to think or to receive revelation. And I know when I am in nature there is a different feeling. I feel safer, and more peaceful. I always find myself thinking more deeply, and coming away from the trips feeling better about life.
Second, "Perhaps the addictiveness of digital stimulation leads to poor decision-making." Doesn't addictive behaviors of anything lead to poor decision making? Look at drug and alcohol addicts. When they need that substance they will do anything to get it, and when on it their minds aren't as fully aware of choices they are making. I can see how the same goes for technology addicts, and it is very real. I know plenty of people who are addicted to their cellphones.
In the article, what stuck out to me the most was the sense of urgency. I relate to this, and I'm sure others as well. I know for example when a new job contacts you through e-mail, all you want to do is constantly check your e-mail; this causes us to be more immersed in the technology. This article shows that many people are addicted and not thinking as deep as we could, as pondered in "Mind Over Mass Media". I like the idea that people should take a break from all of the multitasking because society as a whole may become more alert.
ReplyDeleteThe one i liked is Outdoors And Out of Reach. The arguments they make are spot on. I try to do the vary thing they do and get away from technology a couple times a week. Usually its mountain biking and hiking, then winter comes. In winter i ski close to 5 days a week and leave my phone home every time. Its relaxing not having to worry about phone calls or texts and just enjoy the moment. Giving your brain a break especially in college is probably a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI love hiking, getting out in nature helps so much with just getting control of all the thoughts in your head racing 100mph. I also try and do yoga and meditation at least once a week. It really does help you let go of stress in you body. I always come away feeling so refreshed, and my mind is more ready to comprehend things around me.
DeleteI think the brain and our choices are clearer when we don't have technology. I lived two years without anything but an old cell phone that occasionally has service to call. I love being disconnected from the world. I go to lake Powell twice a year and its nice to just have that focus on what's at hand not the other problems that are everywhere else. I would say that I'm an outdoor person. But it's not the same when you don't have these things and the ones you love can't communicate with you.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Outdoors and Out of reach article, but I didn't exactly agree with some of the things it said. Well I guess it's more accurate to say that I have had similar experiences that seem to also be contradictory. In the article one of the reserchers mention that they felt time was slower when they were unplugged. I think that the reason time felt slower wasn't because they were unplugged but because they were not in a rush. While up at Bear Lake for a week two years ago I had the same feeling, of time going slower, but we were still plugged in. I had my cell phone and still had service, and we were still watching movies, yet time still seemed to slow down. That was really the only part of the article I didn't exactly agree with.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the science behind the Outdoors and Out of Reach article? It seems like a group of scientists wanted to take a vacation and decided to use that to justify it. They should have used different tests and studies.
ReplyDeleteI really connected with the Outdoors and Out of Reach article because I love going to Southern Utah for rafting and climbing trips. You really do feel so relieved once you are out of cellphone service. The only down side is when you come home and you don't want to check your phone because you know you will have so many messages to check.
ReplyDelete