REALITY IS BORING. MEDIA ARE MAGNETIC

Reality is boring. Media are magnetic. With this simple formula, people go a long way toward understanding American consciousness in 2013. Each year, the author sees his students become increasingly absorbed in their laptops and cell phones. He do not forbid using laptops in class. but he just asks students to pay attention to what they are doing in class. The students agree and assure him they can do "multitask." But as the time goes on, more and more students disappear into their screens. His students tell him their younger siblings are even more wired in than they are. They are convinced they do not need to remember facts, because they can always look up the answer on Google. The boring real world is becoming more completely inter-penetrated by the magnetic media world than ever before. Mobile media are speeding up people's lives in ways they are only starting to fathom.