Monthly Archives: September 2012

Media Literacy: Preparing for the Collision of Worldviews

In “The Judgment of Thamus”, the introductory chapter to his book entitled Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (1992), Postman identifies the dangers of embracing new technologies blindly; he argues, as did McLuhan, that technologies inherently determine what use … Continue reading

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Eye ear what you’re saying, but eye fEAR what you’re doing

Commentary based on the article Biases of the Ear and Eye, by Daniel Chandler All human beings have two eyes and two ears, but only one heart as the saying goes; therefore, they are meant to be able to see … Continue reading

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Can Technology Have Ideologies?

In the introduction to his book Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology, Neil Postman (1992) argues, “New technologies alter the structure of our interest: the things we think about.   They alter the character of our symbols: the things we … Continue reading

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A Response to Postman’s Judgement of Thamus

Neil Postman, renowned American media critic and New York University professor, uses his book Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology to caution readers, especially the ‘enthusiastic multitudes’ about the impact technology has on an unsuspecting mind (Postman, 1992, p. … Continue reading

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Orality and Literacy

Chandler (1994) brings forth a quintessential spark that lies between orality and literature, or as otherwise indicated the ear and the eye. Theorists who believe that there are substantial differences between a society that is non-literate and one that is … Continue reading

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Ch. 4 Orality and Literacy

Not surprising, writing has been named as one of the greatest inventions of all time solidified by the realization that since its origin many inventions have been mere extensions of text (ie computers) (Ong, 2002). In Walter Ong’s book Orality … Continue reading

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A Deeper Look At Orality

For many people, especially those of younger generations, the concept of an oral society is rarely, if ever, contemplated because the reality is, the further societies around the world moved towards literacy, the more orality faded into the background. As … Continue reading

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The Continuity of Language

Thousands of years ago, humans began shifting their oral culture into written text.  Historians and anthropologists saw the shift as a domestication of society through the transition from an oral culture to a literate one.  Professor Walter Ong’s theories in … Continue reading

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Putting Speech into Print

London at the turn of the 16th century was becoming a melting pot of different cultures, both oral and literate people made up the society with approximately 80% of the city’s population were illiterate. The technological advance of the printing … Continue reading

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The Power of Powerful Words

            Sunday after Sunday I sit in my pew and listen, sometimes distantly, as the priest pronounces great truths and wisdom from the pulpit.  Nobody else speaks; nobody questions what is said; nobody challenges the … Continue reading

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