Moral Panics

At nine o’clock in the morning, I find myself in class trying to focus on the lecture being presented by my teacher; but, my phone buzzes constantly. I am trying to ignore it, but as I quickly glance at my phone, I can tell that more interesting things are being discussed on social media! I imagine receiving a response from a special someone, a Facebook “poke,” or finding out how many “likes” I have received on the picture that I posted just hours ago. Since, I have lost focus in class and find myself getting lost in what is being posted to social media. Someone has uploaded another funny video and I find it hard not to laugh out loud in class. Unfortunately, all of the access to social media caused my data plan to start running low. Since my data is running low, I will log in on the school’s computer. My teacher is engrossed in his lecture, therefore, he will likely not notice that I am not paying attention. The way the classroom is set up, he will not be able to see me and I will not be able to see him. As I think about
In his opinion, these warnings fail reality checks. For support, we are to consider the remarkable advances in science that are still being made in an age where scientists regularly employ new technology. We have the fastest computers, paperless mail, and lectures conducted using PowerPoint rather than memorization. Additionally, Pinker suggests that we should--instead-- be witnessing a decline in scientific achievement if these technologies were going to have an adverse effect on research. That the mere addition of these new technologies have only enhanced the scientific process, and ensured that we can continue to make new advances (by helping us to work faster and more efficiently). As he puts it, “Knowledge is increasing exponentially; human brainpower and waking hours are not” (Pinker