Amusing Ourselves

Amusing Ourselves

The amusing ourselves to death Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business is book written by Neil postman. In this book the author has talked about the effect of television. The author has begun his work by comparing the ideas provided by other writers like George Orwell and Aldous Huxley (Postman, 2006). I think the book the amusing ourselves to death public discourse in the ages of show business by Neil postman is expressing the influence television has in the culture of a society and the education as this is common in the modern society. This is shown in his work. Neil has agreed with other writers like Marshall McLuhan that media represents the message. The author says that communication signifies important information about the world but the media in the current society does not make communication to be statements. The media in the current society only makes most of the statements to look like metaphors as they only use any means available to force things to become real. The metaphors used by media describe how the world looks like and they determine the listener’s world. These metaphors also determine the culture in the society. This is common in the modern world as people have embraced other cultures due to television influence. In his book the author has also shown how media has changed in America. The media has changed from topography to the use of television. This change has made most of the contents in the public discussion to become nonsense. This is because the form in which information is expressed affects the structure ideas and this structure reveals the truth (Postman,2006).The author emphasizes that content that is expressed in written form will live forever than the content that is expressed verbally. The author has also explained the times before the show business in America whereby the Americans were open to printing press only. The author has also discussed about the production of images using mechanical ways. The appearance of television has replaced the culture in the society thus changing the lives of many people in the society. The rest of the book talks about television and the influence it has in the society. Television promotes disorganization and worthlessness unlike the typography. Television is only made to entertain its listeners but not to educate them. This has forced many institutions joining television conversations to learn how to speak its conditions .This shows how television has transformed the culture in the society into a show business. This has changed the culture completely and then people have come to accept it. Most of the authors Neil has stated in his work have feared that television will transform the culture completely (Postman, 2006).The television has made the political news and other news dilute as it only designs news to suit its. This has made television not to consider the quality of information presented but only to meet their entertainment needs. Most of the news presented in the television are form of entertainment programs as they are interrupted by music, commercial entertainment that make listens not to take them serious. Television is mostly programmed using ratings as its content is determined by the feasibility study carried out to determine a market segment for its products thus it is mostly commercial. Thus the television doe not satisfy the needs of its audience like honesty and involvement as listeners are only passive. Thus I agree with Neil on the influence television has caused in the society (Postman, 2006).

Amusing Ourselves

Reference

Postman, N. (2006).Amusing ourselves to death: public discourse in the age of show business.Edition20.Penguin Books