Procrastadabbler

Weaving in and out of the critique of the new literacies is the concern that forms such as twitter, blogging, IM, email, RSS feeds etc are contributing to the lack of ability among people to attend to lengthy, in-depth texts. The argument goes that we have become so accustomed to gathering our information in bursts that we are losing our ability to focus.

I have recently found that I am having difficulty focusing. But it’s not just on lengthy, in-depth texts, it’s also on fluff. I get bored easily. Movies now have to be extraordinary in order for me to want to commit any time to them. The same with novels or informational texts.

I’m wondering if whether the so called attention problem is really a quality problem. There is so much out there crying for our attention that we are becoming increasingly picky about what we engage in.

For instance, I’ll give any idea that catches my attention a few minutes of my time. But then I decide whether it is an idea or approach to an idea that deserves further attention. I’m finding more and more that there is little that does. Now maybe that’s a function of my age, but I’m not so well read or worldly that I’ve “seen/read it all.” I’m just finding that people are rehashing the old under shiny new wrappers. Perhaps that’s cynical of me, but so be it.

So, I hesitate to blame the short attention span of youth or aging youth such as myself on the new literacies. I blame it on a society that ever pushes us to think safe thoughts, to not venture into the unknown, to not push ideas to the edge.

I’d rather read sharp, thought provoking 140 characters that make people bounce ideas around than 10,000 words of drivel.