#7

Morgan Russell
Assignment # 7
ENVS 195-Media

As an environmental studies major I often learn of the horrible things being done throughout the world. We are destroying our environment at an alarming rate and it seems that no one cares. I often wonder how people I know can so easily contribute to this destruction. One quote from this book I absolutely loved was on page 7, “The moment you fail to understand why the natural world might have any relevance in the day-to-day lives of human beings, you have become…’a lost ball in the high weeds.” Abandon nature and you abandon your sense of the divine. More than that, you lose track of who you are.”
The author goes on to discuss how advertisements “erode our ability to empathize, to take social issues seriously, to be moved by atrocity,” (p. 23). In my experience this lack of empathy comes from those who are the most media obsessed. I am often shocked when I tell my friends of an issue and they wave it aside with a casual “hmm that’s too bad.”
What I really found scary about this reading was how much I saw the traits and characteristics discussed in myself friends. It may be that I have simply begun to pay attention but more and more often I find myself talking to people who seem disconnected from real life, while being so connected to virtual life. I regularly find myself sitting in a group of people who are all on their laptops, they could hardly tell me the last thing I said but could tell me the last 5 people who wrote on my wall.
I have a friend who I always considered fun/funny. Recently I have begun to notice that oftentimes the joke, or funny statement that has come from my friend didn’t actually come from her at all. We are replacing our own sense of humor and simply restating a line from a movie, show, or song. What confuses me the most is that this friend seems smart, (potentially) creative, and caring. Yet rather than using her own wit I hear a line from something I have just seen.
While it is not a generally known that excessive time spent on the Internet leads to “decline in psychological well-being” (p. 46) it is abundantly clear when looking at many of my peers. In my experience those who seem to spend the most time on the internet also seem to be the least socially adept, on the most medications for various disorders, depressed, and lacking empathy.
While I’m sure everyone would believe this about themselves I do not see most of these qualities in myself. However I certainly did at one point in my life and have since become very aware. One major problem I have is this lack of attention span. I find myself so spoiled by the constant stimulation I cannot bear to do anything without it.
I found this reading very interesting, far more interesting than readings for many of my classes and I still took about 10 breaks while reading the short seventy pages. As a child I would read whole books in one sitting and now as a college student I can hardly read a few pages without chatting with a friend or getting up for some (mostly made up) reason.
For a career I would like to work fighting this corporate machine, and consumer culture. What scares me the most is that I see many of the characteristics discussed in friends and myself. If I am unable to influence those closest to me or even change myself what is the chance that I could ever have an impact on others?