Communication Technology

Communication technologies are everywhere. From cell phones to computers to flat screen televisions, we are surrounded by an enormous range of media devices, each vying for our attention and making demands upon our time. This has led some commentators to suggest that the social world is changing in important ways, and not for the better. For example, British writer Paul Connerton has said that “informational overload is one of the best devices for forgetting, the function of the news media being not to produce, nor even to consume, but rather to discard, to consign recent historical experience to oblivion as rapidly as possible” (How Modernity Forgets, p. 84). Write an essay that explores the proposition that modern forms of communication are having a negative influence on contemporary society. Do you agree with Connerton that too much information produces forgetfulness? Do you think that people are becoming less attentive because of the sheer numbers of new communication devices on the market? What are some of the opposing arguments to this position?