In the few days since the Buzz Cut Heard Round the World, I've struggled to avoid the articles. Partly because I think the media has already done enough damage but also because Britney's recent behavior is more and more unsettling.
I guess what scares me the most is having my own anxieties elevated by seeing America's own Pop Princess crack under the pressure of modern-life. Her face is a reflection of my own - one of fear and bewilderment - and it scares me to death to see this pedestaled pop tart having the same issues I do.
I already have a sneaking suspicion that more and more American's have anxiety and panic related disorders because of our lifestyle. We are constantly bombarded with information (injesting more news in a day that most people did in their lifetimes just a century ago) and succumbing to commercialism in its purest form. So it's no wonder that (in my opinion) some of the more sensitive are buckling under the pressure. Seeing Britney wander around aimlessly only solidifies my opinion that popular culture is killing us.
Just last week it was reported that Professor Mara Adelman asked her students at Seattle University to go on a media diet and live just one week without the modern conveniences of cell phones, iPods, computers and t.v. She wanted to prove that "the art of alone time is increasingly lost in our hectic, frazzled, wired lives". Her students protested so much that the study was stopped after 4 days.
Not to say that I think it'd be easy. In an average day I check my emails (3 different accounts) an uncountable number of times, I text message people and IM my sister. I also surf multiple sites such as: bloglines.com (so I can read your blogs) , cnn.com (for reliable news), msnbc.com (for more entertaining news), popsugar.com (for trashy entertainment news), fark.com (for strange news), gofugyourself.com (for celeb clothing mishap news) and that's just to name a few. I listen to my iPod at the gym (sometimes WHILE watching t.v.) and then go home and veg in front of the couch.
Recently I've been paying attention to how all of this media has been affecting the way I feel and I have yet to feel better after logging into my email or checking the latest headlines. But when I attempt to cut back on certain media outlets and overall-information-bombardment, I find myself feeling disconnected with society. So what's the happy medium? I'm still trying to figure that out. But mark my words: the more our society resembles Minority Report (insert scene where Tom's character is running down the street with advertisements flashing off buildings), the more anxiety and panic we are going to have.
2 comments:
The devices are one thing - but the obsession with celebrity lives is another. I cannot understand the obsession with what goes on with these people once the cameras/recorders are shut off. The media outlets need to stop bombarding us with this crap - it is almost impossible to escape!
Like your blog!
I posted an article on my blog stating as much. Don't let Britney's issues get you down. She doesn't give a damn about any of us, nor should she.
I see your point and definitely agree. You can't go anywhere without seeing some useless piece of trivia about Paris Hilton.
But as an employee of an IT company, I have to say - I see firsthand the effect those devices are having on our relationships and that is just as frustrating.
Thanks for the comment.
Post a Comment