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I've regretted hours spent watching TV, playing computer games, trying to figure out how to complete a task with no information available, being stuck waiting somewhere with nothing to do, but I can't think of a case I've regretted time spent reading. There may be people in the world whose lives would be improved by reading less, but I'm guessing a vanishingly small number.
Hope you don't regret reading this comment.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel the same way but I don't know why. Even when I spend time reading average fiction, it still feels better than watching youtube.
Here’s my hot take: because of the deeply held cultural belief that screen time is bad and books are good. Certainly there are truths behind that, but I think we need to realize that videos and even video games can be informative, uplifting, moving, etc, just like books. And conversely books can be a huge waste of time.
Author talks of text as abstraction compared to "edited" version of reality of visual media. But videos, movies, TV shows are also abstractions, possibly worse in that they more easily trick our subconscious into perceiving them as more real than words on a page while still being constructions of a "reality" based on the creator's point of view. So people think they have an understanding of the world based on fiction…
>"I think this is odd, at least if over done, as if the constructed media representation is somehow evidence of anything true"
Constructed media representations, like clips of movies, can still be quite useful for introducing an idea where the evidence will be presented later on. For example, some research psychologists use clips from Ratatouille to introduce concepts about memory.
However, I agree that it's unfortunate that people sometimes do uncritically use fictional depictions as evidence of arguments for human nature. For example, Lord of the Flies depicted a highly pessimistic view of how shipwrecked boys would behave over time, and people have formed a cynical worldview from the story. A real-life case of shipwrecked boys in 1965, however, ended with cooperation: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-...
I'm going to stop you right there and point out that many people living in the 18th and 19th centuries developed the vast majority of their relationships and understandings of the world through only text in the form of letter writing. And I have found no reason to believe the people of those eras lacked in the intimacies of their relations nor in their understanding of their own world. Certainly not compared to the multimedia deluged generations of the mid to late 20th century.
There was a slum in Varna in the 90s with shacks made of tin and cardboard and most of them had satellite dishes on top. The need to escape physical circumstances and real-world stress is real. The part that's missing is boredom that allows you to create something others wouldn't have created. If you make room for that, despite all the pleasures, you are not leaving the world as a visitor, but as a contributor.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Somewhat ironic given I suspect Postman would disagree with the majority of this article. This article asserts that the amount of engagement with the written word has gone up dramatically; "Amusing Ourselves To Death" has an entire chapter dedicated to demonstrating how much more early Americans engaged with written work. Consumption of books per capita was far higher in the 18th century than it is today, the literac…
When Postman refers to written word he refers mainly to books. The article mentions the increase of hours spent reading text as a result of texting, social media etc. This form of written word is actually close to Postman's concerns. It's written word, but its metaphor is the same as the metaphor of mediums like TV.
To be honest, I think this is a general weakness in Postman's work. He talks a bit about the difference between pre and post-telegram writing, but he lionizes all 18th century writing despite there being tons of different forms (pamphlets, books, novels) that don't have the same intellectual value imo.
I think what you read is the key here. Mindless reading of text messages, news headlines and social media posts is very different cognitively than reading actual literature, something like Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow.
I think what you read is the key here. Mindless reading of text messages, news headlines and social media posts is very different cognitively than reading actual literature, something like Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow.
I've regretted hours spent watching TV, playing computer games, trying to figure out how to complete a task with no information available, being stuck waiting somewhere with nothing to do, but I can't think of a case I've regretted time spent reading. There may be people in the world whose lives would be improved by reading less, but I'm guessing a vanishingly small number.
Hope you don't regret reading this comment.
Author talks of text as abstraction compared to "edited" version of reality of visual media. But videos, movies, TV shows are also abstractions, possibly worse in that they more easily trick our subconscious into perceiving them as more real than words on a page while still being constructions of a "reality" based on the creator's point of view. So people think they have an understanding of the world based on fiction…
"Getting a crossed line on the telephone was the internet of the 80's".