Communication and socialization have reached an apex in the past decade. It is now not only easier to communicate with an extremely large number of individuals via many varying forms of communication, it is also seen as necessary and required in order to succeed in the schizophrenic contemporary society we live in. The definition of schizophrenic provided by Random House is:

1) a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.

2) a state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.

When I refer to schizophrenia, I am focusing on social isolation, intellectual deterioration, disorganized speech, and the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements. I will reinforce my argument—that contemporary society has become schizophrenic in our communication and socialization system—by referencing and analyzing the current trend of multi-tasking and the technology that promotes it, as well as online social platforms (MySpace and Facebook). Upon briefly establishing evidence promoting this argument, I will propose that this stage in communication evolution has the potential to lead to a massive collective consciousness, one that mimics the communication and socialization of modern computer systems.

Presently, I have four applications running on my computer. I am using Microsoft Word to type this paper. In the background I am running Mozilla Firefox with eleven tabs open, some relevant to my research, others relevant to personal interest. I use TextEdit as a platform to paste notes and thoughts into; it acts as a waiting room for information (a cache, if you will). Finally, my multi-platform instant messenger program Adium. At this point, thankfully, no one is begging for my attention via a conversation window. Additionally, I am glancing at my stack of readings, sipping a cup of coffee intermittently, petting my cat, and glancing out my window. To this, I point out that technology is not the only factor of multi-tasking. I disagree with Walter Kirn in that he blames the technology for the multi-tasking conundrum. I see multi-tasking as part of life, as a means to critical thinking. The Foundation for Critical Thinking defines critical thinking as

“… the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.”

If the individual consciously interfaces with the tools that grant the ability to multi-task, then there is no need for concern. When one or multiple tools gain control of the user, this is when there is a need for concern. In contemporary society, as we become more like the machines we use, the analogy can be made of pirate software (computer viruses) infiltrating a computer system. A virus corrupts the computer system; in turn, this makes it near impossible for applications to communicate with each other efficiently. The virus without interaction or dictation by the user can run scripts and perform actions. With this analogy established, certain tools/devices can become the equivalent of a computer virus to an individual. Dan Harris outlines this phenomenon in his article ‘Crackberry’ Addiction where an individual will interface with their Blackberry while they are suppose to be running routine protocols such as brushing one’s teeth, or having dinner with their family (Harris 1). As individuals attempt to assimilate technology into their systems—systems programmed in a time before mass technology and computer systems—they may be more susceptible to a more viral relationship with their chosen devices (MySpace, IM, email, PDAs, cellphones, laptops), resulting in social isolation, intellectual deterioration, and disorganized speech.

Youths born into the era of mass communication and technology, and those who were not may lead to the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements. Youths today interface with many forms of technology, and may have done so for their entire lives. To them, these “applications” (MySpace, IM, email, PDAs, cellphones, laptops) are all onboard software. As Danah Boyd so eloquently states, “new media is allowing youth to be more deeply connected to their peers and their family members, providing a powerful open channel for communication and sharing” (7). To reinforce this, Henry Jenkins states “… teens who participate in massively multiplayer games develop a much stronger ability to work in teams, a greater understanding of how and when to take appropriate risks, an ability to rapidly process complex bodies of information, and so forth” (7).

I propose that the alienation and differing perspectives on mass communication and technology in contemporary society exhibited between those who grew up with and those who grew up without mass communication systems is a step in the direction of a new form of social consciousness. The generations of the past two decades have developed a mindset similar to a stand-alone computer system. It has its own operating system, and a set of applications that run in conjunction with the core system. I ask, is it too implausible to think that the next step could be a generation that interacts like a set of networked computer systems? Systems that run a specific set of applications, and rely on others to run other applications? Could this be the solution to the multi-tasking epidemic outlined by Walter Kirn? I will close with a quote by Stephen Hawking, one of the intellectual leaders in scientific theory:

“People have to specialize, in narrower and narrower fields…There is no time to wait for Darwinian evolution, to make us more intelligent, and better natured.”

—–

Citations

Hawking, Stephen. “Life in the Universe”. January 25th, 2010
http://hawking.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65.

“schizophrenic.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 25 Jan. 2010. Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/schizophrenic.

Scriven, Michael. “Defining Critical Thinking”. Foundation for Critical Thinking. January 24th,
2010 http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/define_critical_thinking.cfm.

Turkle, Sherry. “Can You Hear Me Now?”. Forbes May 7th, 2007: 1-4.

Introduction

Modern American society has become one of intense media saturation. Media in my life consists of music, video, Internet, reading, ad exposure, and device interfacing. In order to analyze and identify my place within this media rich environment, I kept a log of all media interaction I partook in between the dates of Monday, January 11 and Friday, January 15. For exact numbers I supplemented my log with reference to my E-mail, last.fm/iTunes, iPhone, and facebook.com databases, these technologies record all corresponding data passing through them. With this data, I will analyze my media exposure, trends arising from this exposure, and how media exposure identifies me within society.

Data

Data collected is broken out into three categories: Online Communication, Phone Communication, and Interfacing. These three categories do not necessarily cover the entire gamut of media, however, they do sufficiently cover the gamut of my personal media consumption. Online Communication consisted of: 7 Facebook status updates, 15 Facebook comments/likes, 23 Instant Messenger (IM) conversations, 14 personal E-mail messages sent, 37 personal E-mail messages received, 36 work E-mail messages sent, and 132 work E-mail messages received. Phone Communication consisted of: 8 phone calls and 8 text messages. Interfacing consisted of: 30 hours listening to music, 9 hours of reading, 8 hours of video, and 50 hours in front of a computer (excluding videos).

Analysis

Each day of the week began in precisely the same manor. Mornings consist of music; beginning with the clock radio alarm informing me it is the waking hour. Followed by the short car ride to the University District with KEXP on the radio at low volume (this week it was accompanied by the rain fall from the still dark sky), leading into the meditative thirty minutes of mp3s blasting from my iPhone while I zone out on the bus ride to Bellevue. Culturally, this is no surprise to me. Music has been a family value since before I was born. Additionally, music is a strong cultural norm of America, ranging from jazz, to hip-hop, to rock n roll, onward to soul, blues, country, and more. Throughout my day, music continues to play a role. Upon arrival at my office, my co-workers and I have a communal music server that we democratically control by queuing up music in a real time playlist via a Rhapsody music market account. Everyday I work to a diverse soundtrack of music. In the mornings, I am limited to what is contained on my iPhone. During the week logged, Massive Attack’s album Protection and the Pitchfork Top 100 Tracks of 2009 dominated my listening before and after work while on the bus. At work, the music was varied and broad. As is outlined in my log, thirty hours of my waking workweek are lived while listening to music.

Communication is an ongoing part of my daily life. As presented in my log, communication happens sporadically and often. Online communications outweigh phone communications exponentially. There is direct correlation to the amount of time I spend interfacing with a computer (50 hours)—as well as my iPhone—and my favored forms of communication. E-mail is my most utilized form of communication, both personally and professionally, followed distantly by instant messenger. E-mail is the primary way information disseminates throughout my office as well as my personal life. The people I interface with all have access to E-mail. My closest of friends and people I work with the most communicate with me via instant messenger. Instant messenger is more efficient and less formal than E-mail, and therefore acts as a more conversational element in my life. Additionally, IM is a conduit for Internet media I view. Friends send me links, and I send them links. As is outlined in my log, Kris Brady, Ben Tudor, and Francisco Alcorta are the individuals I send and receive Internet media with most often. Interestingly, Kris Brady moved to Orange County 3 years ago, he then moved to Stockholm Sweden last year. Through IM, we have continued our friendship as if there is not distance between us. This is an interesting case study of globalization and the spreading of media. Viewing the list of individuals I have E-mailed and IMed over the 5-day period, I can conclude that these individuals are the closest to me. Culturally, this is intriguing, as it reveals a requisite in my social order. Individuals I have lost touch with, or rarely communicate with do not utilize these technologies on a regular basis. This has been somewhat augmented with the release of facebook. Facebook has increased the number of people I communicate with, as it attracts a larger audience than instant messenger. The people I communicate with via facebook are for the most part individuals who do not use IM. It is clear that my preference of communication technologies determines with whom I communicate regularly.

As a full time employee taking 10 credits at the University of Washington, I have very little free time to enjoy non-school related entertainment such as television or the reading of fiction. According to my log, I read for 9 hours over the 5-day period. The majority of this reading was for my two classes; some of it was the reading of online articles. When I had free time, my media consumption consisted of watching The Colbert Report streaming online, reruns of The X-Files, which are stowed on my computer, or watching a few episodes of The Wire. Much of this viewing was done while eating late dinners after classes or as study breaks. This is also a time shared with my wife, where we will converse about our days while engaging in video media.

As for time “unplugged,” there is very little of it. Eating breakfast, showering, doing household chores, and a few dinners out of the week are the only times I find myself completely unplugged. Now that I have an iPhone, it has sealed my fate as a plugged in automaton. Whether I am at a bus stop, between classes, in an elevator, waiting for a take-out order, or a passenger in a vehicle, I now have the ability to plug in. Two activities not represented in these data are my skiing and cycling. Skiing for me always takes place on the weekend; while I am skiing, I never plug in or interface with media, except for the occasional phone call. Cycling rarely occurs during the winter months, which is my mode of transportation for the majority of the year, allowing me to remain unplugged while in transit.

Conclusion

Being a child of the technology age, I clearly am a product of my environment. The media technology I use has become my cultural and sociological baselines. As stated earlier, the individuals I communicate with the most are persons who share my choice of technologies. With this, I have limited the range of persons from which I receive influence. Additionally, as I have shown, the entertainment media that I engage with is deliberate and purposeful. My media consists of mp3s, video files on my computer, streaming music, streaming video, and online articles, all summoned on demand. With the exception of the radio broadcast I listen to in the morning, I engage media precisely when I want it, and where I want it. This realization aids in my understanding of why I have high expectations for everything, from high quality media, to high quality politics, all delivered when and where I want them. It is very possible to assume that my social and cultural expectations have begun to reflect my media habits. Alternatively, is it that my media habits reflect my social and cultural expectations?

“..the difference between ignorant and educated people is that the latter know more facts. But that has nothing to do with whether they are stupid or intelligent. The difference between stupid and intelligent people—and this is true whether or not they are well educated—is that intelligent people can handle subtlety. They are not baffled by ambiguous or even contradictory situations—in fact, they expect them and are apt to become suspicious when things seem overly straightforward.”

Constable Moore in “Diamond Age” by Neal Stephenson

The embed doesn’t work, so here is a very interesting list of links:

http://creativity-online.com/news/h5-builds-the-world-of-logorama/138951
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/7079/h5-logorama.html
http://www.logorama-themovie.com/

Zach
what?
where do you work now?

Liz
the recording academy

Zach
oh yeah

Liz
paid internship

Zach
i knew that
i must be getting old

Liz
yes you did
but i never quote said grammys in all caps
it makes it cooler

Zach
haha
i guess i’m not that old, i at least don’t type in all caps yet

Liz
BUT ITS FUN

Zach
TOTALLY

Liz
IM SO ANGRY!!!
GRRRRR

Zach
I FEEL LIKE I AM TRUMPING LIBERAL ARGUMENTS ALREADY

Liz
I KNOW

Zach
THIS IS GREAT!

Liz
EVEN WHEN I TYPE THIS IT IS YELLING IN MY HEAD

This solo project is amazing. I haven’t been this excited about a sound since I first heard Panda Bear’s Person Pitch, check it out:

Listen to : Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision

If you are really cool, you will buy his album.

Someone on the bus smells like dirty ass. The end.

For my final day in Spanish 102 we had a marvelous opportunity to see a short film at the HUB auditorium. The short film, Nina Quebrada, is a vivid, intense, heart wrenching, eye opening experience in the realities of human trafficking from Mexico into the United States. I found myself near tears at the imagery created by the filmakers. The story is of Lucena, a sixteen year old girl who is maliciously tricked into believing that her boyfriend is taking her to a better life in the US. She wakes up in a life of sexual slavery in Los Angeles. This portion of the film is almost too real to witness.

The panel afterwards included the writer among experts on womens rights and immigration law. The questions fielded were eye opening and engaging. The focus, as per the message from the film, was on the need to reform the laws and social systems in this country to STOP this hideous and grotesque aspect of this sick country. Unfortunately this film did not become a part of SIFF, I hope that more people have a chance to view this powerful and heart wrenching film as to propagate the inspiration that I have been graced with to help in whatever way possible to put an end to these atrocities.

HAHAHAHA:

the site