Are We Amusing Ourselves to Death?
Neil Postman's seminal work has implications for our hometowns
One of the most interesting books I have heard on audio book, is Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death”. When I was on my bicycle traveling from city to city on our regional bike path system, I can was to finish it in a few short rides. You can find an audible link to the book here.
Postman’s intriguing work talks about how the media and technology influence our lives. The book raises many important questions about the impact of television and other forms of entertainment on our thinking and society. And the more I pedal and listen, the more I think about how there are some implications of Postman’s ideas on places like the communities here in Miami County.
Postman’s main point is that the way information is presented and consumed greatly affects how we perceive the world. He compares the information-centric culture of the past, like that of the written word, with the entertainment-focused culture of the present, dominated by television and other visual media. It’s important to note that Postman’s book was written in 1985, well before the onslaught of cable television news and the internet.
Postman's main concern is that the shift towards entertainment-based media has led to a decline in critical thinking and meaningful discussions. He suggests that constant exposure to trivial and sensational content in the media makes it challenging for people to engage in thoughtful debates and grasp complex issues. Instead of focusing on serious matters, society has become obsessed with amusement and instant gratification.
It’s hard to argue the point. Most of the television news that we consume now is not a long form discussion about the issues of the day, rather it seems to be measured by the metric of how many talking heads we can get on a television screen and how little each one can say in an ever shorter period of time.
Even as we look at the internet, and particularly social media, our society suffers from the same consumer tendencies and even the good readers of this publication have told me about these tendencies. “The posts are too long” or “The posts are too detailed” are common refrains. I get it and I know it’s something I have to work on to hone this craft.
However, the short form chronicling of the issues of the day is often where things have gone awry. Collectively, we have lost the voice of nuance and careful consideration in our public discourse. Not only do we want our conversations short and to the point, there must be some degree of entertaining value to the discussion. We have conditioned ourselves to watch public debates not so much for the policies being discussed, but rather for the knockout blow – that moment when someone is left silenced, unable to respond to that last retort.
But what we are seeing is a changing media landscape. Perhaps this newsletter is a part of that new media landscape where we are invited to dive deep into community based issues and discuss the implications of these issues either here in the comment section or with our friends and neighbors off-line and in real life.
As I have thought long and hard about what Postman has said, I believe his ideas have particular implications for the small communities we call home and I believe those implications deserve some discussion.
Loss of Local Identity: I can not stress this point enough - Our communities have strong local identities and unique cultures. Troy is not Piqua or Tipp City and the reverse is true. Each community is unique and those distinctive characteristics need to be valued and shared. However, the prevalence or loss of mass media can blur these distinctive traits. As television and internet entertainment flood into these communities, they risk losing touch with their roots and traditions. Furthermore, the loss of local news is being overshadowed by national or global content, making it harder for people to connect with their community.
A Failure to Engage in Civic Discourse: In our hometown, local decision making plays a vital role in shaping the community and we are well served when we critically think about who these decision makers are and what are their individual and collective thought processes. However, as entertainment becomes a dominant force in media, both mass and social, these civic discussions are becoming less than less. It’s as if our leaders don’t see themselves as helping a community talk about difficult issues, rather they see their job as deflecting attention towards things that are flashy and temporal, not important and permanent.
Sensationalization of Local Issues: In those rare instances when community leaders and community voices talk about local issues, the issues seem to have become more sensationalized and polarized. Again, it feels that as a society, we aren’t interested in the long-form discussions that need to take place, but rather we are energized by the short and pointed dialogues that are too often the norm. Meaningful debates on local issues are all too often overshadowed by attention-grabbing but less substantial content, leading to a less informed and involved citizenry.
Social Connections: The sense of community has always been strong in our hometowns. People often interact face-to-face and have personal connections. However, as digital entertainment takes over, there is a risk of people retreating into virtual worlds, weakening real-world social bonds. While we can all relish reconnecting and having on-line relationships with neighbors and friends we haven’t seen in forever, the personal relationships that make up our community are not just a trivial benefit. One of the challenges our communities will be facing moving forward is to find creative ways to preserve their sense of community and encourage offline interactions. This can often be done by investing in public places that allow people to come together and to honor historical areas where people can interact with the community’s past.
Economic Impact: It is also very possible that our hometowns may face economic challenges due to the shifting media landscape. Local businesses and industries might struggle to compete with online giants, making it essential for these communities to adapt to changing consumer habits and explore new economic opportunities. Advertising opportunities once afforded by local newspapers and local sponsorships of things like little league baseball teams aren’t as plentiful as they once were. While the advent of online advertising helps in some respects, it also brings challenges on how local brick and mortar stores can bring more people through their front doors.
So, what does all this mean for our hometowns? Well, it’s a call to action to ensure that even in a changing media landscape, that we are challenged to continue to be good neighbors. We are challenged to not only be kind to those we share this community with, we are challenged to go deeper. We are challenged to continue to participate in our local economy by patronizing local stores, we are challenged to keep aware and become educated about the issues facing our community. We are challenged not to simply become consumers of what our community has to offer, but also be creators to ensure our community thrives for the next generation.