There is a new generation of people, called the IGen, (I guess its a play on the IPhone) ; these people, young and old are addicted to their smartphones. They are being inundated daily with news feeds which are increasingly being viewed by me as from a dubious source. Half truths are being perpetuated as 'news' and the people cooking these up all have an 'agenda'. So where is the objectivity of news ? We need to have a discerning mind so that we can think really for ourselves is this the actual situation or is this an article which is 'framed' to impart an opinion so as to influence public perception. This then is what people can an 'op - ed'. It is inevitable that reporters or writers will put in a 'bias' or slant on things or events which they report. So skip the written article and view the event on Youtube. Again, there is the possible 'framing' of the video if taken not in real time, but edited to take out certain bits and then present it to the unsuspecting public (like Trump's visit to Japan and where he fed the koi fish, together with President Abe and the MSM press only focussed on Trump tossing his entire box of fish food indicating or giving the impression he was not respecting tradition,culture and protocol ; the actual longer footage taken by CNBC (I think) shows Abe throwing out his entire box first, then followed by Trump. The MSM media edited out the first bit on Abe and focussed on Trump, giving further evidence to the impression that this President was one who did'nt care about respect, protocol and the centuries old culture of a long time post war friend.
We have 'Stomp' the news portal of AsiaOne which in a nutshell shows local people doing horrible things in public and then being filmed and the footage goes viral on social media.
IGen, is a malaise of the world where the smartphone has made us dumb. For example, I am less used to thinking of where this street is, in context of Singapore as I am reliant on GoogleMaps and my Garmin provides me up to the last 5 metres of my destination where I want to go by car. I lose track of how to get to my destination in my head, forget the roads leading up to my destination and I am ever dependent on technology to make my life simpler.
If in the event of an emergency, I need to rush to a certain friend or relative's place, I will be struggling to recall what road the house or apartment is. In short, I have become dumb and not utilising my brain as it has not been used to remember road names and relying on the general direction of the roads and expressway. This is just one of the dumbing down of me (and society in general) that I am aware I am sinking into, so I try to be aware of that fact and make the necessary adjustments lest I become so dependent on the technology.
If I can advise people 1 important thing, 'get off the grid ! '. See the forest making up the entirety of the numerous trees, seize the beauty of the day and enjoy the moment as living life.
When we look up from our phones, we see beauty, simplicity and joy. Why do we jump into the virtual world which is entirely man made and when we can't appreciate even the most basic of nature's beauty right before our eyes ?
Seize the Moment.
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