Summary Of Amusing Ourselves To Death By Neil Postman
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman discusses how technology changed the world forever. Technology is not just defined as radio, internet, and phones; it also is defined as television and commercials. Television is a machine that has no inherent medium and a medium that is the environment that the machine creates (Postman 84). Television is used in modern times for entertainment/humor, information/news, and a way to advertise products to thousands of people at once. Television changes the way we view people and ideas in programs, competitions, and (especially), in politics. In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman argues that “technology has a bias of its own” and technology of television also has a bias (Postman 84-85). Television can …show more content…
With the exciting music, good looks/amiability of the cast, and the vivid footage, commercials appeal to the viewer, often times more than the actual shows (Postman 87). Commercial times average about 15-20 seconds and the times rarely go above 30-60 seconds (Postman 130). Quick images and short messages stimulate the mind and people begin to accept what they are seeing as the right (and best) choice (Postman 131). Commercials are about appealing to the audience, not advertising the product (Postman 128). Showing images of cute kittens, motivated runners, and yummy food excite the viewer, causing them to believe ideas (mythical or realistic) and force people to buy without thinking. In the same way, politics are often displayed to people in cute, funny, or imaginative ways to cause voters to vote on a candidate without really thinking through ‘why should I vote for this guy’ thought process. Television commercials are the “chief instrument in creating the modern methods of presenting political ideas” and provide advertising in politics, clothing commercials, and even ads like cat food commercials (Postman
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1429 Words | 6 PagesThe Overuse of Television Kameron G Loyd BYU-Idaho During an average week, how much television does the average child watch? Parents, educators, and concerned citizens alike would be appalled at the answer of 1,480 minutes (BLS American Time Use Survey, A.C. Nielsen Co.). They would also be revolted by the statistic that 54% of four to six year olds would rather spend time watching television instead of spending time with their fathers (BLS American Time Use Survey, A.C. Nielsen Co.). In 1984, Neil Postman saw how devastating television watching was becoming to the culture of America, and gave a speech to the literary community at the 1984 Frankfort Germany Book Fair entitled “Amusing Ourselves to Death” which deals directly with this monolithic issue. Although the speech and subsequent article, published in Et Cetra, were directed at the publishers, writers, illustrators, etc., all those who read this article can also benefit from Postman’s overarching desire to decrease the hours of mind-numbing television watching.
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Summary Of Amusing Ourselves To Death
155 Words | 1 PagesIn the reading “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil Postman, the most surprising aspect is when he talks about how people do not remember anything they watched on television. According to Postman, Stern said 51 percent of viewers could not recall a single item of news a few minutes after viewing a news program on television” (p152). This is surprising because I believe that a lot of people could recall the news from television, especially when the anchor mention the news story more than once. One time before a commercial break and when the anchor is talking is about it. And when there is breaking news, the anchor spends most of the newscast talking about the topic.
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Examples Of Technology In Fahrenheit 451
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