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Microscopes have also had an influence because they allow us to see things that we cannot normally see with our eyes. For example, the invention of eyeglasses has led to a new way of thinking about the human body and how it can be improved through science. New technologies can have an effect on our culture. Postman disagrees with him and says that the media are metaphors for ideas or concepts. He says that the medium of a message (such as television) is not just the physical form of it, but also its content. In this passage, the author is quoting Marshall McLuhan. Therefore, conversations about appearance wouldn’t exist either if these technologies didn’t exist. For example, without technologies like photography and television, politicians’ or reporters’ appearances wouldn’t be as influential on the general population because they would reach fewer people. We need to keep in mind how important media are for our society’s development. The relationship between form and content in public discourse has led to the decline of our culture. Postman acknowledges that this is a well-known phenomenon, but he argues that we haven’t taken it far enough.
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Advertisers prey on our desire for entertainment by making us hungry for short quips rather than substantive information and knowledge. We’ve developed shorter attention spans because of our exposure to fast-paced television news shows.
NEIL POSTMAN AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH TV
Politicians are praised for their looks or physique on TV and in print media. In the first section of this chapter, Postman writes about various examples that demonstrate how Americans have become increasingly superficial thinkers. In short, Postman says that “Orwell feared what we hate will ruin us Huxley feared what we love will ruin us.” Huxley feared that our internal weaknesses and desires to be entertained would make us lazy, stupid, and intellectually incompetent. Orwell feared that we would be oppressed by external forces such as governmental control. Both of these authors predicted a future that was grim and oppressive, but they didn’t predict the same thing. Postman begins his book by summarizing George Orwell’s 1949 dystopian novel 1984, as well as Aldous Huxley’s (also dystopian) 1932 novel Brave New World. Once we realize this power, we will resist the urge to “entertain ourselves to death.” Foreward He says that we can save ourselves by becoming aware of the potential television has to permanently stymie rational discussion. Postman believes that television should not be eradicated, but rather it should be used responsibly. People no longer have time for complex debate or deep thought due to this media saturation. This leads to television being dominant in society today because it’s an entertainment medium that presents all information in an entertaining way. These methods are not as effective at conveying information as print since they lack context and can be decontextualized. However, with the invention of telegraphy and photography came new ways to communicate ideas. Print is a rational form of communication therefore, people who used it were more rational. In the past, discourse was more rational because it was based on print. The form of a medium determines its content, or what we get out of it, which is why it’s important for us to be conscious of how we use media. The author continues to build off the work of Marshall McLuhan, who argued that “the medium is the message,” and expands on his theory.
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NEIL POSTMAN AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH FREE
Unlike George Orwell’s novel 1984, where government overreach is responsible for the death of free speech and thought, Huxley foresaw that entertainment would be our downfall. In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman opens by saying that Aldous Huxley’s vision of the future in his book Brave New World is one we should pay close attention to. 1-Page Summary of Amusing Ourselves to Death Overall Summary