I’ve been trying to write this blog for an hour now and I haven’t gotten further than this sentence. Why haven’t I made any progress? Because I’ve been surfing the web, checking my emails and chatting on facebook, that’s why. I am part of the ADD generation. Our attention span is so small it seems we constantly need to be entertained.

 On the Internet you can find plenty of sites that cater to our generation’s short   attention spans like StumbleUpon.com.  This website’s goal is to “discover          great websites, videos, photos, blogs and more — all tailored to your personal    interests.” If you don’t like what you see you “stumble” and it immediately  brings you to another website.  On average when I stumble, I don’t look at a  website for more than one minute before stumbling again.  I get bored quickly  and I need a change.

The Daily Show and the Colbert Report are other great examples of our  ADDness. Our constant need for entertainment is what made these types of  shows so popular. I don’t watch the news much, and many people my age don’t  either, however, many of my friends are fans of Colbert and Stewart. We get our  news from these shows because we liked to be entertained in the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5MEyeqYEBk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSE_saVX_2A

I think this constant need for entertainment is definitely caused by the technology that surrounds us.  Our brains are constantly being stimulated by TV, video games and the Internet. This stimulation has almost become like a drug, we crave it, we need it and without we simply don’t listen.  Our teacher’s have a tough road ahead with this new ADD generation, they simultaneously have to be educators and entertainers.  Good luck to them!

A couple weeks ago in the Globe and Mail, a story was published about a viral YouTube clip of a little girl playing with a dead squirrel. It got mixed reviews. Some said it was an innocent moment and other’s questioned the parent’s ability to raise their child. Whichever way you see it, this video is a prime example of the YouTube generation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nn0UkdDArM

Times have definitely changed and and the concept of privacy seems to have changed as well. Before the Internet and YouTube, the home was a private place.  With the rise in popularity of YouTube, it seems that anyone is willing to bring a camera into their home and film private moments.

The fact that the Globe and Mail picked up this story is amazing in and of itself. In the past couple years we have seen  a rise in the number of home video’s that have made it to national news. The Squirrel video is just the tip of the iceberg.  I saw a story on the national news the other week about a man who had put a webcam in an eagle’s nest and posted the live feed on Twitter. This bird’s nest has gotten one hundred million views since the project started.

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles#utm_campaign=twitter.com&utm_source=3064708&utm_medium=social

The Weather Network has also jumped on the band wagon. They encourage viewers to send in their stories, videos and pictures of severe, weird or beautiful weather. They then integrate these videos and picture’s into their broadcasts and post them on their website.

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We as the viewers have become the news makers, our stories are being published in news papers and broadcast on the air. Who needs a journalism degree when you can post a video on YouTube and make it on TV anyways.

 Have you heard of Post Secret? According to the website  “PostSecret  is an ongoing community art project where  people mail in  their secrets anonymously on one side of a  homemade  postcard” I personally love this project and I am  trying to spread the  word.

Every Sunday postsecret.com posts its secrets of the week. These can be simple silly little secrets like “I hate automatic toilets because they make me feel rushed” to more serious secrets like “The 6 tattoos I’ve gotten this year are the only thing that have kept me from committing suicide.”

We spoke in class about our society wanting privacy but at the same time wanting to confess and to be exposed. I think this is a perfect example of that phenomenon.  This is an online community that has almost 1 million followers on facebook alone. Not to mention the huge numbers of people who visit the site, buy the book or attend the talks. This kind of exposure allows people to confess their secrets, sins and little quirks to the world all while remaining completely anonymous. It’s really the best of both worlds.

I truly think this project helps everyone. It helps those who send in the postcards feel like they have an outlet or someone to confess to. It also helps those who read them because often two people share very similar secrets; it helps people feel like their less alone. If you ever have the chance to visit this website or read the books, I’m sure you’ll get hooked like I did.  I think it’s a great project!

Here’s a link to the website: http://www.postsecret.com/

 I was in the washroom the other day and I heard someone talking. I thought it was my friend so  I responded.  She said it wasn’t her. I realized after that it was the girl in the stall beside me. She  was going to the bathroom  and taking a call at the same time!

Besides the fact that talking on your phone while going to the bathroom is completely  unhygienic, there are a  couple things wrong with this scenario.

One: Complete lack of privacy. In our world, moments of complete privacy are few and  far      between. I think  the bathroom is one of the last places we can go to be alone for a  moment. I  think we should try and embrace  these moments, because God only knows  these moments of  full privacy might soon disappear.

Two: Our attachment to our mobile devices. I’ll be the first to  admit I don’t like leaving  the  house without my phone but I  never dreamed there would come a day where I would need to  be  connected 24 hours a day, even when I’m at the bathroom.  I think it’s sickening that people  need to be connected to this extent. I wouldn’t dare go to the bathroom with someone else in the stall with me, so I really don’t see the need for a telephone conversation on the toilet.  To each his own I guess.

These are definitely different times. Lack of privacy has become the norm and apparently the need to be connected has become more important than ever. I think taking a call and a pee at the same time is going over the top though. If you need to take a call, take it later, it won’t hurt to be unplugged from the world for a minute or two.

I’m not really one to follow American politics but when I heard that Newt Gingrich, a candidate for the Republican Party announced that he was running for President on Twitter and YouTube, I was intrigued. I looked up the Tweet; it was nothing special; it simply said “Today I am announcing my candidacy for President of the United States. You can watch my announcement here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRSz21Vedxc”

There are two sides to this story that I find interesting. By posting his candidacy on YouTube and Twitter he shows that he’s trying to get the younger generation involved in politics. What better way to reach out to them than by announcing it on a social media website. I think it’s a great idea to get young people involved because ultimately they are the ones that have to live with the decisions the government makes.

However, I think the way he went about it is pretty lame (for lack of a better word). Gingrich is 67, he’s old and not really the kind of guy you would think would have Twitter. I think his plan was very transparent and young people will see through that. I give him kudos for trying but I highly doubt that posting his candidacy on Twitter and YouTube is going to make the younger generation vote for him.

I personally don’t take Twitter very seriously, I don’t have a n account and I don’t follow anyone so I guess I’m a little quick to judge but in my opinion posting your candidacy on Twitter seems like a joke. It’s just not official enough for me.

At least the guy tried, and who knows, come election time, he might see a rise in the number of young supporters but if I were him I wouldn’t hold my breath.

I was sitting in the break room at work the other day, playing Doodle Fit on my iPod and waiting for my shift to start when one of the waiters, Craig, made a comment about technology. He said “I remember a day when people  would sit in the break room and actually talk to each other.”  I realized what he was saying was true, I looked around and there I was on my iPod, the girl next to me was texting on her blackberry and the bus boy was talking on his cell phone.

It’s pretty sad when you think about it, all these devices that are made to keep us connected just make us more antisocial in the end. In my mind we need to go back to basics. Strip away from technology and just start interacting with people. I think cell phones and iPods have made us more antisocial and fearful of people.

Think of this: you’re on the 95 heading to Orleans and some guy you’ve never met starts talking to you. What is your first reaction? I think for most people I’d be confusion followed with a “this guy is creeping me out”. Now flash back to the 50’s. If someone said hi to you on the street you wouldn’t think it was creepy at all, you’d think “Oh what a friendly guy!”

It’s a little ridiculous that we’ve bought into this consumer society but honestly, I don’t think we can go back. What’s done is done and now that cell phones are in our lives, we can’t get them out. I do think we need to realize what these devices are doing to us though. We need to try and stay as connected as we can to people and stop talking to screens all day. Your challenge of the week: stop and talk to your coworkers, they usually have interesting things to say. I know mine did.