Videos

Which of Neil Postman’s books are the most well-known?

Public Group

Active 2 weeks ago

He believes that literacy is important because it allows us to think critically and express ourselves... View more

Public Group

Organizer:

Organized by

Group Description

He believes that literacy is important because it allows us to think critically and express ourselves with language. What does the term He contributed to the development of the concept of technopoly, which he defined as a state in which technology controls society and poses a threat to social norms and values. He believes they are unaware that preparing students for citizenship is the main goal of education. Neil Postman claims that those who wish to reform schools are ignorant. What are Postman’s criticisms of school reform?

However, a few chapters later, I had a real shiver down my spine. I find it ironic that most people today are exposed to Postman’s cautions about media and technology through the very channels that he would have found problematic. Postman remains relevant because the questions he asked have only become more urgent, and his insights continue illuminating paths forward through our media-saturated age. Postman, a brilliant cultural critic and media theorist, had not only identified a problem in his own time, he had delivered a startlingly accurate prophecy about ours.

Having someone explain what we’re losing helps us make more deliberate decisions about what we’re willing to give up for convenience and connection as our focus grows more dispersed and our conversation becomes more superficial. However, that might be precisely the reason we require his voice. This book seemed to speak directly to my current experience because it was written in 1985, a time before social media feeds and pocket-sized supercomputers, when television dominated society. Media ecology investigates how human perception, thought, and social interactions are altered by technologies and communication systems, from print to television.

Early on, he was drawn to the fields of education and communication. In his words, the “medium is the environment,” and to study media is to study the very climate in which we live, think, and interact. Postman, who was born in 1931, grew up and developed his career during a period of remarkable technological advancement. He later became a professor at New York University, where he established the discipline of media ecology.

He was concerned that society would be less able to think critically about significant issues if entertainment values took precedence over critical analysis. In that book, Postman made the case that television was diluting the seriousness of news, politics, education, and history by turning all public discourse into entertainment. He was passionate about education and firmly believed that teaching methods are just as important as the content we teach.