Analysis Of Steven Pinker's Article Mind Over Mass Media

641 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effect of new media over traditional media

In Steven Pinker’s article, “Mind Over Mass Media,” he argues against the statement that “new form of media have always caused moral panics” (Seyler). He provides examples of high functioning, intelligent people that use media daily and show that it is necessary to their work. Distraction is not a new problem. People need to turn off their phones, or close windows on their computers, so that they can focus and work on self-control around media. Studies have shown that the brain cannot do more than one cognitive task at a time. People who multitask actually switch tasks quickly, which is taxing to the brain. Also, people who complete one task at a time out-perform those who multitask. Therefore, it is not possible to multitask as it …show more content…

Not surprisingly, texting and driving is one dangerous example of people trying to multitask. Those who think they are excellent at multitasking might ignore the laws in place that attempt to prevent texting and driving, but “26% of all car crashes in 2014 involved cell phone use” (“Texting & Driving”). Mautz mentions that texting and driving is “the equivalent of driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit.” While driving, the brain needs to be focused on so many different tasks, such as other cars, traffic lights, pedestrians, and even its own passengers. Texting while driving involves visual, manual, and cognitive distractions. Driving is already a taxing event for the brain, so forcing the brain focus on an incoming text instead of the road is not only foolish, but dangerous to yourself and other drivers. This news that humans are actually not talented with multitasking should come as no surprise, however, there are many people who attempt to refute this. There are numerous studies that show people who think they are multitasking are “task-switching” which is focusing on one task and moving back and forth between the two quickly (Mautz). What this does is overstimulate the brain. Instead of focusing on one task and completing it well, people try to do multiple tasks at the same time. Starting and stopping each task is not easy on the brain. Recent neuroscience research states

Show More
Related

  • The New Brain By Richard Restk Summary

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the chapter “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era,” from The New Brain, written by Richard Restak, Restak makes some very good points on his view of multitasking and modern technology. He argues that multitasking is very inefficient and that our modern technology is making our minds weaker. Multitasking and modern technology is causing people to care too much what other people think of them, to not be able to focus on one topic, and to not be able to think for themselves.

    Read More

  • The Epidemic Of Media Multitasking While Learning By Annie Murphy Paul Analysis

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article,“Multitasking is actually kind of a problem for kids and adults” by Hayley Tsukayama the author went into detail about how parents and their children view their personal media habits. One of the ways that the parents and children viewed their media habits as was feeling the need to respond to texts and notifications immediately. “More than 1,200 parents and teens surveyed, 48 percent of parents and 72 percent of teens said they felt the need to respond to texts and notifications immediately, almost guaranteeing distractions throughout the day” (Tsukayama). This article can be connected to “The Epidemic of Media Multitasking While Learning” both of the articles discussed the different factors of media multitasking among individuals. The article from The Washington Post website gave great insight on multitasking and rather it is bad for students when it comes to learning. I believe that the issue being discussed is very relevant because if students are easily distracted by technology while in their learning environment it results in them not learning

    Read More

  • How To Prevent Distracted Driving

    838 Words  | 2 Pages

    All around the world, texting while driving has become an even more dangerous hazard than drinking while driving among teenagers and adults who openly acknowledge sending and reading text messages while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Texting while driving is arguably one of the most dangerous, selfish, and careless acts that a driver can take part in on the road today. According to Teens Against Distracted Driving, a study was done at the University of Utah that showed that while people are texting and driving, it reduces their attention level down to that of a person with an alcohol level of 0.08%, which is the legal limit to which someone can be

    Read More

  • And Driving: The Dangerous Psychology Of Texting While Driving

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    No matter how good of a driver someone is, or how long someone has had their license, it is still not safe for people to text while drive. Earl K. Miller, Picower Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, told Foxnews.com, “It is difficult for pretty much everyone to do several things at once. In fact, studies have shown that people who have the most confidence that they can multitask are actually the worst at it,” (“The dangerous psychology of texting while driving” Para. 7). With Miller saying this, it shows that even if people think they are a good enough driver, and can multi task while they are driving, are not as good as they think, and can cause many crashes and problems while driving, and possible

    Read More

  • Reading and Thought by Dwight MacDonald

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    Students may easily lose their attention and concentration with easy access to such incredibly rich store of information. With such new technologies as television, internet and social networks, people nowadays tend to multitask more often as they have easy access to a large amount of information. However, such easy access may sometimes be a distraction. Study “Your Brain on Computers” reports that heavy multitaskers perform up to 20% worse on most tests compared to performance of light multitaskers. Working efficiency of people, who multitask, is claimed to be significantly lower. The same is with concentration. (Crovitz 353) As a result, they are not engaged in working process. Students tend to be easily distr...

    Read More

  • Consequences of Texting behind the Wheel

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    Distracted driving is such an increasing problem in the U.S. that there are laws against driving distracted. In New Jersey there is a handheld ban for all drivers and that is a primary law. There is a ban on all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for novice drivers. There is also a ban on texting for all drivers. This problem Is growing, drivers who are texting are 23.2 times more likely to get into a crash than people who aren’t (Cell Phones and Texting). Every driver takes their eyes off the road for approximately 4.6 seconds when texting. Driving is a new skill for teens, so doing multiple things simultaneously takes more effort for them than for more experienced drivers. Texting and driving can ruin families because when texting and driving there is a higher chance of getting in a crash. There are only 2 percent of people who can actually multitask successfully. Even though teens are more likely to try multitasking they are still part of the 98 percent who can’t do it safely. For example, Nebraska teen Emily Reynolds says...

    Read More

  • Distracted Driving Analysis

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    The several effects of distracted driving are deadly. Andrew Lavallee points out that “texting while driving is unsafe. Not only are a driver’s eyes off the road, one or both hands are off the wheel.” “We think it is incompatible with safe driving” (qtd. in Lavallee). “Study upon study showed that talking on a cellphone was far more dangerous than she’d realized – that a driver on a phone had the same reaction speed as someone legally intoxicated, that those talking on a phone behind the wheel are four times as likely to crash” (qtd. in Hanes). Stephanie Hanes also mentions that, “Unlike a conversation with a passenger, the electronic conversation takes a driver into a virtual space away from the road.” Subsequently, this causes severe problems and deadly

    Read More

  • New Media’s Impact on Intelligence

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Steven Pinker’s article, “Mind Over Mass Media”, he argues that every advance in media technology has sparked accusations of declining intelligence and morality. Pinker believes that these “moral panics often fail basic reality checks” by pointing out that if technology were as bad as critics painted it to be, it would be impossible for society to be at its current level of progress. Instead, Pinker concludes that “far from making us stupid, these technologies are the only thing(s) that are keeping us smart” by helping us leverage large amounts of information. Pinker’s argument contains some faulty logic, such as suggesting a questionable correlation between the popularity of television and rising I.Q. scores and citing anecdotal evidence about the failure of multitasking rather than facts. Indeed, he mentions a study on multitasking, but fails to cite it, which lends false credibility to his argument.

    Read More

  • Texting And Driving Essay

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the dangers of texting and driving is that it causes distractions. These distractions cause car accidents and unnecessary deaths of innocent drivers on the road. In a recent report done in 2011 The National Safety Council

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Multitasking Can Make You Lose-Um Focus

    1336 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the article, “Multitasking Can Make You Lose…Um…Focus,” Alina Tugend centralizes around the negative effects of multitasking. She shows that often with multitasking, people tend to lose focus, lack work quality, have an increase in stress, and in the end she gives a solution to all these problems. Tugend conveys her points by using understandable language, a clear division of subjects, and many reliable sources, making her article cogent.

    Read More

  • Steven Pinker Mind Over Mass Media Summary

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Steven Pinker’s article, “Mind Over Mass Media” he argues that every advance in media technology has charge of declining intelligence and morality. Pinker supports the idea that there are intellectual benefits obtained from mass media and that there are positive effects of new media technologies on mental development using some great examples related to our daily life.

    Read More

  • Mind Over Mass Social Media, By Steven Pinker

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social media has affected people negatively because people depend on social media more than their brain .Which does not bring any benefit to them .Our society has come from being very social to antisocial over the years. Many people don 't interact with each other anymore .We search, post ,tweet and snap not even knowing who we are sharing are information with . In his article “Mind Over Mass Media ,” Steven Pinker writes about the amount of knowledge and power social media is taking away from our brains .College students and high school students are likely to use social media to do their work assignments.Social Media is slowing taking the place of boosk and many other ways people learn. Therefore, I agree that social media is taking the

    Read More

  • Steven Pinker Mind Over Mass Media Summary

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Moral panics about technology have spreaded throughout the community about how it could affect consumers intelligence. However, those threats were exaggerated when computers and televisions were invented. Professor Steven Pinker, author of “Mind Over Mass Media,” argues that the media does not have a negative effect on consumers minds. Even though medias have controlled our minds, it is what keeps our brain at focus to take in information without losing interest. Steven Pinker explains how technology helps people take in information without losing interest, and how consumers in the past were concerned towards the use of new electronics.

    Read More

  • 'Mind Over Mass Media' By Steven Pinker

    112 Words  | 1 Pages

    The article “Mind over Mass Media” was written by Steven Pinker; a professor of psychology at Harvard University. His purpose of the article is to explain his reasoning on why he claims mass media has more positive effects on today’s society then negative. Steven’s audience is a mixture of people that have different opinions on the topic “Mind over Mass Media”. His main objective is to persuade his audience to believe in his way of thinking. In the text Steven expresses that, “ Far from making us stupid, these technologies are the only things that will keep us smart. Stephen uses many facts and opinions to convey his idea to the reader.

    Read More

  • Argument Analysis of Brain, Interrupted, by Bob Sullivan and Hugh Thompson

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    On May 3, 2013, The New York Times had posted an article discussing the poor effects that can happen to the brain if you are multitasking and being interrupted. There have been claims from numerous Universities suggesting that multitasking can deaden our brain. Sullivan and Thompson give us the insinuated results that if one wishes to accomplish two or more tasks at once, they will not reach the maximum capacity of success that the brain offers to them. Research on this topic has been minimal so the authors decide to investigate more on this epidemic (Sullivan and Thompson).

    Read More

More about Analysis Of Steven Pinker's Article Mind Over Mass Media

Open Document