… For both blog post and Media Lectures! About time hey? A week later than intended but it’s taken time to kick this butt into university gear. However, good things can take time, and now I can proudly say my brain seems all set for the year ahead.

Riveting would not be the best word used to describe the first media lecture as it was filled with the same admin stuff as all of the others. However, I found the text we read, Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes (By N. Katherine Hayles) quite interesting. I noticed that I possessed definite “skills” in the hyper attention span; one of the ability to switch tasks rapidly (on purpose or unintentionally) and having a low tolerance for mundane tasks. Was rad to learn that I would make a great air traffic controller. As I read further though, about the contrasting deep attention span, I became aware of the fact that, ironically, for most of the lecture I had been constantly checking my phone/ laptop, blissfully disengaging myself from the deep attention span needed to take in information. It took a lot of restraint to not use my devices after that. I decided to try concentrate on learning and listening… But the more I thought about them, the more I wanted to use them.

I don’t know if it’s a personal addiction or a generational thing. But everyone around me ALSO seemed glued to his or her social media screens, whether Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. It got me thinking that seemingly it’s more obsessive for younger and younger people growing up surrounded by technology. I’ve noticed toddlers with iPads; 8 year old kids with Facebook, let alone the fact that my younger brother can be using up to 3 or 4 media screens at a time and is “most definitely using all of them”. So much more to elaborate on, but let’s leave it at…It’s crazy.

ANYWAY I digress, I don’t know how long these things are meant to be. I know media is constantly changing, and the platforms we use to learn academically (the Internet, in contrast to say, books) is also shifting, but I don’t want to let myself be distracted by the social (aka fun) aspects that come with technology… So, as a goal, I’ve decided to turn my phone off before lectures and tutes.