On Being Tired

Oh boy, I'm tired. It's been a long day. I thought I would take a break from posting solely about class to reflect a little on life in general. I attended my high school football game tonight, and they won! Everyone thought the opposing team would get smoked, but it was close for a while. Muskegon High School (where I went) did end up winning, though. I'll be excited to see them in the playoffs this year. It's always nice to see familiar faces even though I get quite nostalgic.

Although I dislike eBooks, I could have used one today. I forgot a book I needed for an assignment and had to make a round trip back to get it. It wasn't the worst drive, but it still was a drive I made early this morning and gas is still $4 a gallon. A couple of my friends told me they would have skimped on the assignment, but I just can't do that. All I kept thinking was, "Am I done with grad school yet?" I really enjoy attending classes, but the pressure of homework and grades gets to me. I'm not a slacker and never will be; In fact, I'm just like my mother (yes, I am proud of that).

Anyway, I chatted with a woman today about volunteering for the March of Dimes organization, and I am really excited about it; I miss volunteering and I love non-profits. I already feel a little crazy working close to 30 hours a week, taking three night classes, and trying to have a life (and that might not seem like a lot for some of you, but you have to remember I'm 21 years old), but the truth is I like staying busy, especially in the winter. I wanted to help out the MOD in SOME way. I do miss having more free time to craft, though.

I spent a lot of time working on the paper today. I'm having fun with it, but one of the biggest pains is dealing with citations. I have written plenty of papers/articles in APA, MLA, and AP, but no matter how experienced you are, those picky style issues still take a TON of time. I had to do a thesis for undergrad and citing everything took hours. Not to mention a lot of professors have different standards and I have been told different things by some, so every time I start a new class I have to get familiar with what the instructor wants. As digital media expands, there are more topics/sources that aren't covered in the APA manual. Some of the items in the APA manual are vague. 

However, I'm lucky to have the 6th edition APA manual at my disposal, and for those of you who don't have it, two sites are pretty handy: Purdue OWL and Son of a Citation Machine. The citation machine is kept up to date and is a great tool, especially if you're not sure what the in-text citation should be. If you grab articles from ProQuest, you also can request citations and choose the format on the same page you access the PDF from. Don't forget the doi!

Vacation and Ellul, Part 2 - I'm back!

...and what an adventure I had! The wedding was absolutely lovely and I had a wonderful time. It's nice that I made it back in time for class...as much as I like having breaks, I don't like missing classes. I already feel a bit behind! I'm also quite exhausted; although I rode in the back of the car, constant sitting wears me out! It was nice to be able to get some reading done, though.

At first, I really wasn't too thrilled about the reading; the section was quite long and I wasn't able to print it off (printer ink is expensive and that's a lot of pages). However, I quite enjoyed this assignment and didn't find myself bored with Mr. Ellul. After completing the reading, I thought I would touch on a few more things I found particularly interesting.

Vocational Tests

The next section I found particularly interesting was the one on vocational tests. I have taken numerous career quizzes, career aptitude tests, etc. since my middle school days. They're found everywhere online. Popular sites such as Career Builder and About have their own tests or link to ones they find useful.

Each test I've taken has come in the form of an online questionnaire that addresses concepts from personality traits to hobbies and interests. Sometimes you check boxes that apply and sometimes you are given two options and you choose the one you like better. I always approached the tests with a bit of skepticism; I remember in middle school I was taken aback when the careers selected for me were "explosives specialist," "podiatrist," and "fruit and vegetable grower."

While I think the tests can be a good way for people to discover their strengths/weaknesses and possible career paths, I found Ellul's comment - that vocational tests "discover" what society needs - to be quite interesting. I suppose I never thought of that before, but it makes sense. The individuals that develop such tests look at popular careers and most definitely the ones that are in demand (perhaps when I took those tests in middle school podiatrists and explosives specialists were needed, leading to my odd results). The list of careers has to be limited somehow.

I liked Ellul's statement that humans are flexible as far as potential, because I think that's true. I don't think it's a good idea to say a person is suitable for one or two careers and those only; with the right skills, people can adapt to many different careers. Also, although vocational tests may be reliable indicators of what a person can do well, it doesn't mean the person will do well in the chosen field(s). In other words, sometimes people are really good at something, but a career in that something is not what makes them happy.

This quote really stood out to be on p.362, and Ellul was speaking about the vocational tests: "Once again we are confronted with a mechanism of adaptation which deprives man of freedom and responsibility, makes him into a "thing," and puts him where he is most desirable from the point of view of another technique, that is, where he is most efficient."

In my opinion, he seems to be saying although people are given the illusion of choice when they take the tests, the tests reduce such people to skill sets and then tell individuals the career(s) they should pick because that is where they will be most useful. I believe this quote and the usage of the word "efficiency" is a central theme that continues to be reintroduced both in this reading and in Technopoly. My group even talked about this concept when we met a couple weeks ago. Technology is about efficiency and the task of workers is to efficiently use the technology, make the technology more efficient, and create products/services/etc. in the most efficient way possible.

Propaganda

This section came directly after the vocational section, and I had no doubt I would enjoy it since persuasion is an interest of mine. I recently read Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram (an interesting and quite wonderful book), and I noticed similarities between the book and this section especially.

First, Ellul explained that propaganda uses mechanical techniques (flyers, radio, television) and psychological techniques to be effective. The items are natural yet suggestive. As both Milgram and Ellul noted, the propaganda strategy in Germany took 10 years; it's a bit of a long process. Ellul said people go from having choice to having conditioned reflexes and living in an abstract universe. By suggestion, people are given the enemy and are able to transfer their guilt/negative thoughts to that enemy. The mindset becomes good versus evil, people start to harbor resentment, and, perhaps most shocking, they don't even see propaganda for what it is. It becomes unrecognizable.

Although I do believe propaganda binds communities/people together, one thing I found surprising was that there is less crime and neurosis in a society bound by propaganda. Maybe that's because people feel close to one another and think they're a part of something special? (Ellul did mention a sacred realm is created). A decrease in crime and neurosis is probably true for places bound by other types of collective thoughts, such as close-knit communities and so forth, but I just found it surprising in general.

Another quote I found interesting in this section was on p.364 when Ellul said "There is no such thing as purely objective information." I'm curious - do you all agree or disagree?

Vacation and Ellul, Part 1

I'm taking a stab at posting from my iPad...I've never blogged from here before! I'm on vacation this weekend with my grandparents, and we spent most of the day driving. I loaded this week's reading on my device and got some of it done on the way (three cheers for technology)! Please excuse any gramatical errors and the lack of pictures/etc...it's a little harder to edit on here and the Internet connection isn't the greatest (one cheer for cheap hotel wifi).

I figured I would post a short post now and add a longer one when I've completed the reading. I found out I will be back in time for class on Tuesday so I won't be missing anything, but we reach our destination tomorrow and I wanted to get some thoughts down before things get quite busy. We're headed to Virginia for a wedding and I haven't seen my family there in years.

The first thing I thought about the reading once I got a few pages in was that it has a sort of film noir feeling. Society is painted as a sort of machine and the world is bland, dismal, and tiring. Urbanism creates neurosis and crime. The same things can be found in film noir, such as in titles like Double Indemnity. People go to their jobs and resent them. The main character in the movie dislikes his job so much (insurance agent) he tries to help a woman cheat the system because he knows how to. The mechanical society themes were brought up in a book section we read in a previous class of mine...I believe it was called Voices in the Dark by J.P. Telotte (but don't quote me on that). I just think it was interesting to see so much relation between Ellul and film noir themes.

One thing I do want to say about what I read today is how much I think society is changing as far as careers go. Although Ellul says work is "aimless, useless, and resented" and that people basically are overworked from 9 to 5, I see a lot of businesses changing - at least in the tech world. Companies seem to be learning that happy workers are productive workers and more places are putting effort into making the workplace more comfortable and fun (especially places that want to draw in young professionals). More people are given the opportunity to work remotely (and studies show a change of scenery can lead to an increase in creativity). I will cite some of this research in my next post. Although not all jobs are like this obviously, I think it is a step in the right direction. 

At this point I think it's time for bed, so I will continue my thoughts later on. Here's hoping this publishes correctly! 

My Thoughts on The Juggler's Brain

I know, I know, cheesy video game meme. If you've never played the game, you probably won't find the image funny. But, it fits my post and my train of thought. I enjoyed this week's reading assignment a lot and I learned quite a bit.

I learned to read when I was just a toddler and as I grew up it was hard to find me without a book in my hands. I brought books to the dinner table, read in class, you name it. Most of my middle school days were spent reading in class because I was bored at school. I could read for hours, I didn't get distracted, and I remembered a lot of what I had read.

Now to the present time. After reading the passage for this week, I was surprised (although not too surprised) to learn about how using the Internet can rewire your brain. I suppose I never thought about it, but I do really believe that is true. The author said "The Net seizes our attention only to scatter it" and once I stopped and thought about it, it's quite unsettling.

Whenever you're on the web you're bombarded with all sorts of information and it is quite overwhelming. I do believe that has had an impact on my way of thinking. My mind often is loud and scattered and there are plenty of times when I wish I could just clear my head and hit pause. Sometimes I want to concentrate on things but I get distracted by other thoughts. Couple that with the "dings" of text messages and emails and it's hard to sit down and get one thing done at a time! Even while watching football this weekend I noticed what was mentioned on page 131 - programming with infographics and news crawls. You can watch the game and see what people are tweeting and read the news and see scores and other updates and whatever else they cram in there. Good grief!

There are times I wish I could return to my childish brain, the brain that didn't jump from place to place all the time. I never asked for this brain rewiring to happen. I wish it was still so easy to dive into a book and think about nothing else other than the book.

What I mostly got from the article was to, when possible, really take the time to sit down and think deeply about things you read and things you are interested in. Pay attention and process the information so it can settle in your long term memory. I am happy I do find time to read, even if it is just for a few minutes before I go to bed. Other times I will go out somewhere to read and turn my cell phone off.  I read actual books - I am not a fan of eBooks. I actually prefer reading from paper and not from a screen, and a lot of times I will print important papers off just so I have something tangible to highlight and thumb through.

I do think more people are aware of the findings outlined in the chapter, but some can't/don't want to change (he even says on page 134 that people willingly accept distractions). Plenty of students surf the web during class and know they aren't picking up information from the lecture. Lots of people know they are being distracted by the Internet but would rather surf the web than visit the library.

I recall this Lifehacker article from a while back about a study published in Psychological Science. The study suggested spending time in nature can boost cognitive functioning. I've read other studies that say spending time in nature/green areas can help alleviate depression and increase creativity. I think it would do everyone some good to visit a park at least once in a while and bring a book to read!

In summary, I never asked for my brain to be rewired. None of us did. But, if we really put effort into deep thinking and reading and other "healthy" brain activities, I think we'll end up just fine. The author mentioned web surfing having some benefits in old age, but I still think I'll keep my crosswords handy.

Assorted Musings

Now that I'm finally sitting down, I thought I would post something with more substance. I took a look at the syllabus and it said we're supposed to respond to the reading of the week, but perhaps that comes later. I'm heading home tomorrow and will probably tackle the chapter in the afternoon.

It's a bit different to write on a new blog. I have a craft/personal blog I update every so often and I write articles/blog every day at work. Honestly, I get sick of staring at the computer screen, but this blog is a nice little opportunity to share some thoughts and refresh on what I learned in class.

Technopoly

My group had a pretty good discussion about the book. One thing we talked about was the section where Postman mentioned how people these days don't seem to value such things as wisdom from the elderly, religious tradition, etc. I do believe it. In the book The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell talks about how people are becoming less religious/spiritual and less moral. I'm not religious, but I like mythology and I recognize that religious texts, literature, etc. tell stories about morals, behavior, etc. and they can be very important and influential guides for people. When people look to technology to find answers, they don't really learn morality, (that's my opinion). I mean, who really goes on the internet to read mythology?

Maybe I'm an old soul, but I'm lucky to have both sets of grandparents alive and well and I spend a lot of time with them. I spend a lot of time with my family in general. I read a lot. I like to learn. I think it's safe to say I'm the youngest person in this class (I'm 21) and I don't think my generation values learning and wisdom nearly as much as they should. It's sad.

Take MSU, for instance. A lot of people tell me how lucky I was to be able to go there, and I don't argue with that. However, I was disappointed by the lack of interest in learning in my peers. I didn't see the passion I expected and it had me so disheartened after a point, I couldn't wait to leave. So many people did the bare minimum to pass and didn't seem to care about anything besides what they were doing after class. Most people in classes sat on their laptops on Facebook/the web the entire time. I got to know my professors and took an interest in the material. I had some professors tell me I was the only one who went to office hours all semester. I was a TA one semester and not one person came to office hours. Group projects were always nightmares. 

I'm not saying I don't think there are passionate young people out there - there are - but there are so many that just....don't care. While I am excited for the future, some things do concern me. In COM 620, Alex mentioned how behavioral problems are becoming more abundant. I've heard similar reports, and one of the books I read this past summer was about narcissism and how it is on the rise in America. Maybe I'm sounding too cynical, but I really hope something comes along and ignites some sort of spark in a lot of people. 

Hello World!

(Yes, I'm using the standard WordPress template on a Blogger site). This is going to be a blog I'll use for COM 641 and perhaps other graduate courses at GVSU. I'm excited to have blogging as an assignment!