Analysis Of Amusing Ourselves To Death

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Amusing Ourselves to Death: The Entertainment in Education Television and the visual culture are “creating new conceptions of knowledge and how it is acquired” (p. 145). Neil Postman in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death explains the effects of television and visual culture on the youth education curriculum. Postman believed it necessary to warn society of the consequences of living in a culture dominated by television. As for my opinion on this matter, I do not agree with Neil Postman’s statements in regards to television and our youth’s education. I believe it is not the crisis Neil Postman makes it out to be. In our youth education curriculum, teaching has developed to make learning easier for our youth to understand based on television …show more content…

I believe when a new technology is created we should use and enhance it to the best of its ability. If the new technology can be used to change the education curriculum, then I believe we are enhancing both the technology product and the education curriculum. If technologies change our culture it could quite possibly be for the better, and humankind could be developing for the better. The vital difference between the tradition youth education curriculum and the television curriculum lies within the main objective. The main objective for traditional education in schools is to encourage the development of language. The main objective for television is to demand attention to images. Neil Postman writes, “we face rapid dissolution of the assumptions of an education organized around the slow-moving printed word, and the equally rapid emergence of a new education based on the speed-of-light electronic image” (p. …show more content…

Television tells a story, but without any arguments or discussions of reason. Television is supported with images, and amusing music. I do agree with the third commandment. Television avoids explaining the entire theory or idea. I believe this to be true because, if it is explained the view does not have a reason to keep watching. Neil Postman’s thoughts toward television and education would sadly not change after thirty years, but more technologies such as laptops, tablets, cell phones, and even social media would be added to the curriculum. Neil Postman would most likely be appalled at the amount of information I learn through the internet, and the formats that I learn the information in. For example, BuzzFeed News is an application on my cellphone that give information through videos, music, and images. All the formats that television used, but quicker. In 1985, television was a platform to use for educational purposes and entertainment. It did teach our youth that teaching and learning could be both fun and educational. With new developing technologies, it is only natural for our culture of education to develop. Although the format of education changes, change is not a bad thing. I see images, video, music, and all media as tools for our youth to learn. Making viewers and users aware of the impacts is necessary to inform the generation to

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