Digital_Nation

On Monday, the Digital Lecture Studio showed the movie “Digital_Nation”, which discussed life and learning in the age of digital technology.

One point the movie addressed struck me as very prevalent: in an age of constant information and distractions, such as texting, Facebook, and Google, people are multitasking in favour of focusing on one activity at time and this divided focus is lowering the quality of all their activities. I have seen this multitasking and divided attention in myself and others. In a large lecture hall, many students who are using their laptops to take notes switch between word processing programs and chatting on Facebook; in social situations, individuals juggle face-to-face conversation with texting someone who isn’t present; in libraries, students will jump from reading a chapter in a book to playing their favourite game on their smart phone. This multitasking leads to disconnected thoughts, disconnected relationships, and disconnected learning, the ultimate irony of world constantly ‘connected’ by technology. It is difficult for a person to maintain coherent and cohesive thinking when he or she is constantly starting and stopping a project, activity, or thought process rather than staying focused and running through from start to finish.

Though many individuals recognize the negative effects multitasking has on their productivity, the lure of the internet at its distractions is a very powerful force, so powerful that some find themselves addicted to the computer or to digital technology. This obsession can range from a need to always check one’s email or cell phone for new messages to a full blown addiction to online games, where users with forego food, drink, and responsibilities in order to keep playing. The video portrayed a college student who was constantly using her Blackberry smart phone and a young boy in Korea who was neglecting his school work and his family life in order to spend most of his time playing online fighting games. Digital technology has become so ingrained in these people’s lives that without it they feel lost and disconnected, and all they can think about when away from their gadgets is the messages and games their missing.

Despite the detrimental fall out from the digital revolution seen in the past two examples, the video also addressed a more positive side of the technology: education. Laptops have been implemented in at-risk high schools, such as one in the Bronx documented in the film, with drastic improvements in attendance, test scores, and overall social conduct as a result. Virtual simulators possible only through the use of digital media have been introduced into military and medical training. Digital technology allows the modern world to perform tasks that no past civilization could dream of: encyclopedias of information are available within seconds of a mouse click, persons on separate continents can see each other’s faces during conversation with video chat, and paperless transactions of reports, documents, etc. can occur with a simple email.

Overall, digital media is a double-edged sword: for every positive innovation it brings, there is a negative drawback. Though I believe in the good of the digital age, I understand that the distractions exist and are difficult to ignore. However, it is the decision of the user whether or not he or she will succumb to these distractions, and unless technology becomes harmful to the health of the user, it should be used whenever helpful and possible.