Uh Clem's Admin World

Eric Mack posted a blog titled We're Getting Dumber , where he "ponders" the effect of communication technologies and their effect on our ability to think deeply and critically.  I could agree more.   I find the majority of these communications are extremely superficial, bubble-gum for the mind if you will.  It makes me feel like I'm wasting my time much of the time.   Or am I?  Is there value to these communications I am missing?

I struggle with Twitter (and other social networking sites) because on one side I do find nuggets if information that is valuable, but on the other side there is SO much value-less chatter that I wonder if is worth my time.  When I use these social networking tools I try to think about what "value" I am adding to the collective.  For this reason I post less often.   But since the "value scale" is not black and white, and it is subjective, it becomes murky.    For example,  what value is there to know that you have just returned from the mall, or that your latte wasn't very good this morning? Maybe there is a little bit of value of getting to know that person more,  but it sure seems superficial most of the time.

There was a time when, during a greeting, someone asks "How are you?", and they actually cared about the answer.  It has been reduced to an obligatory greeting, with an equally obligatory response of "fine".   We are no longer expected to really dig down, and think a little deeper about "how are we, really."   We are filling the air with shallow thought.  We are loosing the art of critical thinking.  Where will that lead us?