The Media Spectacle

Today, we learn through the eyes. The authority has been transfered from the brain to the eyes. The eyes like/dislike, judge and outrule. Sometimes the brain has nothing to do with this process. In this age of advanced technology where time is scarce- time has become a commodity, as they say 'time is money'- skimming has replaced reading, glancing has replaced observing and second hand has replaced first hand experience

Today, the shorter, easier and takes less effort is always the better option

With this background it is extremely easy to understand

how and why the quick absorption and judgement of the eyes has taken over the long, deep function of the brain- it's easier and quicker

This is a very severe turn in humanity's path. Instead of trying to enhance decision making skills and training on making speedier decisions to fit in with this new age, it seems that these attempts have been thrown aside altogether- and the eyes have taken over

We lose a lot due to this change in the character of our lives. Firstly, deep analyzation and critical thinking. Also, the deepening of setreotypes and quick categorization.

In conclusion- us humans have a lot to be proud of, advances, development and enlightenment. This change on the other hand is nothing to be proud of- images have seized control of our lives.

Cultural Imperialism or Cultural Adoption?

Neo-marxists would be very enthusiastic to tell how the west tries to dominate everyone else in the world in many respects; politically, economically and culturally.

This cultural domination is called 'cultural imperialism'. This is no joke- it is tied up inseperably with politics and can actually affect high politics rather than just low politics, as people would probably think.

These neo-marxists have a good point; almost every single global icon is from the west, more specifically, from the US. Fashion, food, music and entertainment floods in from the US to the rest of the bodies, tables, MP3S and TV sets of all corners of the globe

This is especially so for youngsters- they are generally more welcoming of this foreign culture and are more than willing to embrace it and adopt it.

Everyone knows who the hegemon today is, but what people don't realize- USA is also the 'cultural hegemon'. Its arms of influence are spread all over the world and The "M" sign of Mcdonalds can be seen in a staggering number of 119 countries! I think that really says it all.

Having said all this, these neo-marxists with their solid and convincing argument are forgetting something. What about the rest of the world? Where are they? Where are their rich histories and roots, where is their pride? It's not enough to act like Saudia-Arabia and China, and merely 'block out' US influence; these nations need to counteract other influences with pride in their own culture, they need to outshine these intruding influences with so much love for their own heritage and inventions.

How come everyone is looking outward rather than inward to their own country, and backward to their roots? The US isn't 'forcing' itself on the rest of the world, the rest of the world is thirsty for this culture and that is very evident.

As long as people want to eat Mcdonalds, Mcdonalds will be there- in 119 countries in the world

That sentence really sums up everything

E- empowerment- Help or Hindrance?

The World Wide Web, like any other technological advances, has advantages and disadvantages.

One very evident advantage of the internet is E-epowerment. That is, people who weren't blessed with inter-personal skills or charisma have another opportunity, another window to connect with the rest of the world. They feel empowered that thay can pick and choose what image to present, what to expose and how. One can present their strong qualities instantly, as

opposed to a face-to-face encounter where some qualities are naturally exposed at first, and others are only later revealed, providing that person is given the time of day to do so.

In today's society, this is more acute than ever, when appearance and image have become so important. As stated above, some aren't given the time of day because of these external qualities and they don't get a chance to show the strong internal qualities.

In this case, the internet can work wonders for people like this and can serve as a healthy and productive platform for interaction. It can allow one to enter circles of interest they otherwise may not have been able to because of factors that are considered paramount today

This solution is extremely important when considering the vicious circle that can be created in its absence. This means that if one is naturally unconfident and timid, the disapproval of others may deepen this feeling and make it even worse. It's a spiral effect and people may lose out by not being able to show their real selves, and society is missing out too by never getting to know these people.

This argument is very convincing and this has helped many people to develop behind the computer screen and break through when they get the confidence to do so, when they are 'ready to face the music'. However, what about those who never break through? What about those who experience such popularity on the internet and this prevents them from developing true social skills? These people may become overly-dependent on the computer and won't have to ever develop these skills because they've created a virtual identity and possibly, a virtual circle of admirers or friends.

This is a sinister thought and isn't so far fetched- very ironically today there are more means of communication than ever, but people don't communicate anymore.The art of discourse and debate have been highly challenged by these developments in technology, there is less interaction than ever before.

Therefore, if one can use the internet as a stage to reframe their identity, and use it just to heighten their confidence, that's ok. It's ok as long as the person knows how to break through when they are ready and face their fellow human beings

Having to say a painful goodbye to 'The Book'.... Unfortunate but inevitable

People still read nowadays, but much less. One has to admit that with the life-changing invention of the internet and the birth of the digital age, reading a book may appear to some as a tedious task. In the age of globalisation where time and space is compressed with the advance of technology, the book no longer fits in. The book is time consuming, demands patience and linear thinking; it is harder.

The internet is ridiculously easy. When I was a child and I had to look up any subject, I had to sit, look at the table of contents/ index and even read background material to get a better idea of what i'm looking for. Today, within a couple of seconds you can find endless information, on anything and it can be isolated from its background. This is easy, saves time, and gives us the feeling that we control the information rather than vice versa (when we had to sit for hours to find that one evasive piece of information).

Today, we are masters of information rather than slaves of it; we sit effortlessly behind our keyboards and manipulate huge masses of information as we wish. Minimum time and minimum effort.

This is tempting to all; young and old, academic and non-academic, nobody can deny that- the facts speak for themsleves, the internet is present in practically any field of life.

However- all this comes at a price. Linear thinking, patience, deeper analytical thought and creativity of imagination are being traded off for time and immediate pleasure. The problem is- immediate pleasure is highly desired and time, highly useful.

So this is where we stand today, we have gained so much, developed so rapidly but at a price. The only question to answer now is- how high is that price? How much have we lost in this age of rapid development?

In my opinion, this price can only be judged in relative

terms to the pace the world is going at. That is, the qualities we have 'given up' or 'traded' are arguably useless today, and will probably be even more useless in the future. One who has linear thinking, patience and can read a book that could also function as a doorstop in the year two thousand and nine, is equivalent to a man with billions of dollars in cash... on a desert island

His dollars are nice, but useless

In conclusion, many in this day and age (including

myself) are sentimentally attached to books, and the thought of letting them go is downright frightening. However, at this pace, there really isn't any choice, it is inevitable.

Soon, it will be time to say "goodbye" to the book for good.