State of counsciousness . . . In the digital age

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/ Full program "Digital Nation"



http://video.pbs.org/video/1082076027/# Full program "Growing Up Online"

These are two wonderful PBS Frontline programs which provide an introduction to the key questions that we have begun to ponder regarding the role of technology in human development, human intelligence, and the human mind.



I want to spend more time exploring:



The future of human intelligence - What kind of intelligence will we need in 10, 20, 30 years and how to we educate our children and/or ourselves for that?



Is/will our brains CHANGE significantly as a result of our constant digital interactions?

What is better? Your brain on technology? Your brain on a book? Your brain during exercise? Your brain during meditation?



Will human connections be made stronger and more significant through the use of technology?



Will experiences with technology replace experiences in the "real world"?



What will the "digital generation", those who have grown up with technology, think and how will they approach human interaction, their careers, their families as a result of the growth of technology?



Is there something unique about human existance that is seperate and valuable apart from the technology that we create and utilize?

Is our primary attraction to technology it's non-judgemental availability? Does it help us learn to love ourselves?



The ultimate question:

Will technology enlighten us and help us create a more peaceful society?




http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=proglist&utm_source=proglist
Additional interview material from psychologist Sherry Turkle

http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/techself/
MIT Technology and the Self Initiative and Sherry Turkle references


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/interviews/nass.html
Additional interview material from psychiatrist Dr. Nass

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/learning/concentration/?utm_campaign=videoplayer&utm_medium=fullplayer&utm_source=relatedlink
Additional material regarding educating our children and technology

Gender, college athletics and noise

In my observations of a college swim team in a small northern New England town, I have seen several behavioral patterns that intrigue me.

First, male athletes in the program tend to create more noise than the female athletes in the program. During dryland training, the male team can be heard yelling, exclaiming and vocalizing with great enthusiasm. Much of these vocalizations are unclear verbally. It is not apparent to me what the meanings, intentions or emotions are behind these vocalizations. They are simply quite loud and they draw my attention to the person delivering the message.

In contrast, the woman athletes in the program are nearly silent during the dryland training program. They certainly socialize and speak to one another before and after the workout, just as the male athletes do. However, during the training, I have never heard loud vocalizations from the women's team.

I have observed a similar vocalization pattern during the water training sessions. All of the athletes - male and female - socialize and speak to one another throughout the breaks in the training session. However, it is the male athletes who are the loudest and most explosive in their vocalizations during challenging sets, during speed sets and during intense times of training. The woman occasionally cheer on their teammates in supportive and relatively quiet ways. They do so less frequently than the men, though.

Finally, this contrast in vocalization patterns is exceedingly obvious during competitions. In comparing and contrasting the first event of a recent home dual meet, I noticed that the women's relays cheered for one another and received some vocal support from the spectators and their team members. However, the noise level for the men's relays was substantially and noticeably louder. The men on the relays (from both teams) exclaimed loud verbal and non-verbal messages before, during and after the relay. Moreover, these men received louder vocal feedback from the spectators and from their teammates.

Is this sexism in action? Are male sports are more legitimate and more worthy of attention?

Is this merely a simple gender difference expressed through sport? Do men and women just communicate differently and this is readily apparent through their participation on a sports team?

Does this point to males utilizing sport as a way to express aggression and dominance?

Reality TV - Perspectives

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/05/lauren-zalaznick

Ms. Zalaznick is incredibly intelligent and articulate. I really enjoyed listening to the way she frames her career, popular culture and the role of the media in shaping the human condition. She is sharp and is very clear in defining her professional goals as well as the goals of her industry. She raises many provocative ideas. These questions struck me:

Is reality TV "sports for woman"? What is this all about? Why can't women enjoy sports as they are? Moreover, why do men and women flock to the drama of competition, rather than the celebration of skill and excellence?

Does reality TV allow us to engage in social comparison and does this process help shape our senses of personal identity? If this is the case, are these borderline pathological people profiled on reality TV serve our identity formation or should we choose other models?

Connections

Are you wondering how all of these topics and ideas are connected . . . ME TOO! Part of the purpose of this blog is for me to collect and organize the big ideas that are interesting to me. Eventually, these concepts will intersect and come together in a way that might even help me shape some future research or writing. We shall see!

Mothers

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/05/ruth-reichl

What a powerful and compelling program. Resolving the relationships between mothers and daughters is so incredibly challenging and so multi-layered. Women seem to carry their parenting legacies with them in ways that are different from men. We also seem to embody our relationships and hang onto these influences in so many ways. Ms. Reichl tells her story boldly and honestly. She encourages us all to be understanding, forgiving and free to love ourselves and our mothers.

The financial truth of pro athletes

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102302881

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102326100

Do we do a disservice to our pro athletes by paying them outrageous fortunes and providing them with little to no education about how to manage their money? Do we do a disservice to our pro athletes by treating them as celebrities and creating an expectation for them to "live large" rather than live thoughtfully? How do these financial challenges affect how our retired athletes think about themselves, their sports careers and their lives.

Perspective

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103246132

Joe Queenan offers his perspective on growing up poor . . . it's not quite as glamorous as the view of the "streets" that has been propagated by our pop culture and Hollywood movies.