Response on the "Digital Nation" video

Are you aware that the many forms of media are causing you to live in a virtual world? If you use Facebook, Email, cell phones to communicate, or play video games you have entered the virtual world. In the video “Digital Nation-Life on the Virtual Frontier” which was produced and directed by Rachel Dretzin and Douglas Rushkoff, it is shown that young and old alike have embraced digital media for everyday tasks. South Korea was among the first to adopt the virtual world into their culture. One thing Dretzin mentioned was how kids in South Korea will stay up all night playing video games at cafes and some have even died because they have forgotten to drink or eat while they played for extended periods. They are now having to rethink healthier ways to use digital media including establishing Rescue Camps to teach children how to use computers more responsibly. One positive example digital media has had on education is the story of Principal Jason Levy. He brought digital media to a failing school in the Bronx and dramatically increased the number of students passing their classes. Dr. Gary Small at UCLA found that reading a book actually uses less brain energy and decision-making than using the Internet. One other interesting change that digital media has brought to young people is frequent multi-tasking. Dretzin and Rushkoff report that when they observed students on the M.I.T. campus in Cambridge, Mass., everywhere they looked , the students were looking at some type of screen, sometimes two screens at once. A study in California went even further, conducting mind tests to measure the level of distractions as students multi-tasked. The military is using digital media to fly drones in Iraq from a base in Nevada and treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with the use of virtual space. Digital media has brought so many profound changes, both negative and positive, to our lives.

After watching this video, I have related it to my life and realize it has had a large effect on my writing habits. Although many positive things were discussed in the video, I can see the negative portion of this affecting me more. My writing has become short-handed and unfocused. When I write an essay, I find I have to do a lot more editing than I did just three years ago. I find myself more distracted by things that sound more fun than sitting down and putting the pen to paper. While writing this, I answered my phone, checked Facebook, and answered my email, all while the T.V. played in the background. The video gave an example of the MIT student who suffers from the same problem. There are so many distractions, and the possibilities seem to be growing day by day. With these negative issues also come positive effects. Huge amounts of money have been saved because people are able to communicate online rather than fly long distances for business meetings. Digital Media has also made it much simpler to research things and find any information we desire, ultimately making us more educated. Though there are some drawbacks, I believe that Digital Media has brought us more positive changes than negative.