Distracted

Yesterday at the Honors Conference, Hailey and I attended the "Environment of the Performing Arts" lecture. At first I didn't think that the performing arts would come to be connected with our media midterm, but I was very wrong. The first speaker, a 25-year-old woman, explained to us that our generation is not the biggest audience for performances. Most of those attending traditional shows as the Tilles Center are older. She connected this information to the fact that our generation is so used to media and technology being every where. We've become so distracted by all of the different technologies and information that are thrown at us every day, that it has become hard for us to sit down and stay focused on one thing. She told us that we're exposed to about 1,200 advertisements a day. While I know that we see advertisements all the time, I was surprised at the number. The media is really thrown into our faces wherever we go. Advertisers put entertaining reminders of their products and shows in newspapers, on internet sites, buses, radio stations, taxis, posters, movies, and of course television. No wonder a large portion of my generation doesn't want to sit down and focus on art.

I personally love the arts, but I have found myself to be impatient and distracted at times. Sometimes on a stage we don't see big neon signs, celebrities, and the bells and whistles that advertisers use to wow us. To a certain extent, I think we've gotten used to seeing information packaged in a fast and flashy way. This problem is not just affecting the arts; it's also affecting education. Many teachers these days are using technology in the classroom to get their students' attention. I was talking to an Italian teacher I know, and she was telling me how in the past couple of years, she has noticed that her students are becoming increasingly distracted. Whether or not the media and advertisers are the only causes of a distracted generation, I cannot say; however, it does seem to be a factor.

Another speaker discussed how years ago, it seemed that radio and television were going to be the death of theatre. Why go out to see a play when you can either see a show on TV or hear one on the radio? Radio and television were really accelerating technologies that took off and the arts community thought it was going to take a hit. One of the speakers even connected this to her every day life. She explained that she sometimes works from home and at times, there really isn't a need to leave. She has the internet, TV, and her cell phone. What more does she really need? Why should someone go see a show or an art exhibit when there are several forms of entertainment at the tips of your fingers? How do we adapt art to fit our new lifestyle? How should we react to this explosion of media and the problem of distraction? These are some interesting questions that our society needs to consider.