I had quite a few reactions to the Frontline PBS documentary Digital Nation at a surprisingly hefty 90 minutes, the film covered a whole lot of content. The first concept that struck me was the focus placed on multitasking. As something that seems so second nature for kids today (and most adults, I think), it seems like multitasking would be a good thing. It ties into an idea from the first chapter of Slack & Wise about progress. Doesn't the ability to do many activities at once seem like an example of the progress they talk about in chapter 1? Although then again if it turns out that by multitasking, we are actually just doing more tasks poorly, then it wouldn't be progress, I guess. I do believe the authors when they draw the distinction the "received view" and the cultural studies view. I understand the importance of this distinction because I see evidence of its reality everywhere. The most common perception of technology is that it is representative of the progress we have made (and will make). This means that most people think of technology in a positive way; despite what problems it causes, it will in general help us. The cultural studies view does not necessarily refute that view, but it does not blindly endorse it either.
I enjoy the historical view that Culture + Technology seems to take (at least from its intro and first chapter). We often think of our time as exceptional given the communications revolution we have experienced. However, I think it is a good grounding to take a historical look at what we are living through. I hope the book will answer questions I have like how technology has been promoted and resisted, if only in American history, which seems to be the case. I am very interested in studying whether our feelings of exceptionalism are founded or unfounded, as it was one of my main reasons for taking this class.
More about the documentary: I was very surprised at how uneven the tone was. It seemed that the makers tried to incorporate a balanced perspective on many aspects of technology and culture, from video games and virtual reality to texting and multitasking. Some of the pro-technology people came across as smug and kind of scary. In particular, the Army program baiting teens into recruiting centers with video games struck me as appalling. I'm really glad they covered aspects of the controversy over it, since it did seem a pretty morally questionable use of technology. Another point which struck me as odd was the training some IBM employees received in Second Life. Maybe it's because I don't often hold business meetings, but what could possibly be gained by watching your digital avatar interact with your coworker's avatar instead of video conferencing and seeing the person herself? Anyway, I've gone on long enough. All I need to say is, I was intrigued by both the chapter and the documentary, but also concerned by the documentary.
