Analysis Of Informing Ourselves To Death By Neil Postman

In only a couple of decades, technology has imbedded itself into people’s lives, to the point it would be difficult to live without using technology. In Neil Postman’s speech “Informing Ourselves to Death,” he explains how not all technology is being used for what its original purpose was, and how people are starting to drown in the useless information technology gives. Postman also makes the claim, “And therefore, in a sense, we are more naïve than those in the Middle Ages, and more frightened, for we can be made to believe almost anything” (5). Though Postman gave this speech about thirty years ago, this accurately describes modern society. Technology was meant to help people learn and improve their lives, but it has instead increased the naivety of the world. Technology has made people dependent on it, gullible, and lose verbal skills, which has led to a naïve world. Getting information has never been easier than it is today. People simply need to type into Google what they wish to know, and there is the answer. They now rely on technology to help get information easier. Before technology became what it is today, finding an answer would require research and thinking for oneself. Even just a couple years ago, if a student was writing a research paper, they would go to the library to read and learn about the topic, so they could complete the assignment. Now people depend on the internet to do most of the searching for them. With information easily attained, people no