I’m not depressed. I’m not lonely. I run about 30 miles a week. And, surprise–I am a binge-watcher! This post is starting to feel a bit like an “I’m a Mormon” commercial parody, so let me back up a bit. I research media marathoning, a phrase I prefer over the negatively-connoted “binge-watching.” (Check out Wikipedia to…
Holidays are a time to indulge–in decadent desserts, bacon-wrapped appetizers, mulled wines, and media. Articles in Slate and The New York Times have chastised those who over-indulge in media, giving these people the derisive label “binge viewers.” We know that the substance of those sugar cookies and pork bellies isn’t healthy, but what about the…
In the previous Neil Postman-inspired blog post, I attempted to demonstrate that our culture’s dominant means of communication infiltrate the fantasy worlds that captivate our imaginations. It was an argument in tacit agreement with Postman’s claim that the dominant medium becomes our cultural “command center.” In this post, however, I am disagreeing with Postman’s essential…
This month has been very enjoyable (and hectic) because of new baby Rosaleen and no day care for three-year-old Hazel, but I didn’t want to let June slip away without making a post. I’m almost finished drafting the “Cognitive Involvement” chapter of the marathoning monograph and wanted to report an interesting comment from (pseudonym) Sarah.…