Technology in American Culture
The way we learn, communicate, and live our everyday lives is being changed significantly by new advancements in technology. Such advancements are even suggestively rewiring our brain and changing us from the normal student/adolescent of the past. As students, the way our brain is now processing and learning new information is of a different sort. The way we are paying attention in class and doing homework differs from previous generations. Why is this a problem? It is a large potential problem because we as a society do not know what will happen when children are being taught in a way that is essentially a different language. Technology has changed the way Millennials learn and interact because it has turned us to hyper attention opposed to deep attention.
It is quite clear to see that Millennials are shifting to something called “hyper attention”, rather than “deep attention”. This was mainly used and taught by our elders. However, deep attention is quite prevalent in education. This is where a problem arises. With the rapid growth of technology and hyper attention, learning through deep attention will possibly cause great conflict. Deep attention is the concentration on one thing for an extended period of time. It is where one is so focused on something, that they are oblivious to their surroundings. An example of deep attention could be reading a book, solving a long math equation, or even something like a staring contest. Hyper attention is the “concentration” on multiple things in a short period of time. N. Katherine Hayles describes it as, “switching focus rapidly…seeking a high level of stimulation” (28). There are too many examples of hyper attention simply because most Millennials associate with hyper attention. Hyper attention could be shown by a college student doing his/her homework. They write a few words for an upcoming essay, reply to a text message, and then browse social media before returning to their essay....