Jeff McMullen is an interesting chap

Since I have a soapboax where I have a captive audience (you guys are screwed!), I might as well use it to promote my own particular brand of social justice whereby I punish the wicked...by investigating this new media phenomenon further.

Just kidding. This blog is here to serve another purpose, but while we're waiting to go to Japan and a topic of relevance came up, I thought I'd post.

There's a programme on the ABC called Difference of Opinion, presented by venerable reporter Jeff McMullen. It's basically a panel of brains and opined people who debate academic/intelligent issues relevant to Australia. I found out about it today; hot damn the ABC has some good shows. The Chaser, Difference of Opinion, Mediawatch...I really have to start getting free-to-air teev at the ol' casa. Apparently SBS also dishes up the goods with Insight and Dateline (plus, I have a fanboy woody for George Negus). And while I list TV shows, has anyone watched The Cook and The Chef? Freakin' awesome. It's almost as good as the UK version of Ready Steady Cook with Ainsley!

ANYWAY! Difference of Opinion had a show on 23/4/07 about Growing Up In The Digital Age, with three topics debated covering "Is Generation Y better connected or disconnected?", "Is technology normalising otherwise unacceptable behaviour?", and "What sort of adults will the children of the digital revolution become?"
Check out the transcripts rather than the videos; the text covers the entire show rather than just snippets.

I gotta say, I'm not a fan of the format. There's a distinct lack of participation from the audience in the debate, many of whom are presumably selected for their background knowledge / previous interaction with the subject matter. We're instead forced to listen to the panel of "experts", which may not be the best way to provide knowledge on the issue.
On the flip side, I like the fact that these types of questions can be debated on a national broadcaster. Sadly the impact of the new media on Generation Y was pretty much glossed over by the entire panel as they each went off on their own personal tangents / interest pieces about the topic. Which is, of course, entirely understandable given their role. Tim Brunero was probably the only one that actually had something relevant to say regarding the topic, since he has experience with the new media and wasn't basing his opinion on hearsay and flawed research. I love nothing more than listening to people who supposedly have respected opinions try and talk about YouTube, MySpace, and the cultural knowledge of Generation Y. Sorry guys, but you wouldn't have the faintest. And that's because we're moving too fast for you to catch up.

We're a fast moving generation, always have been. Information is at our fingertips, communication is instant, and celebrity and fame are just around the corner, if only for a few minutes. As one audience member said, "technology...is my being". We cannot be disassociated from the tools and technologies that we interact with continuously and still perceive ourselves to be "me". I'm not sure about you, but when I accidentally leave my mobile at home, I feel as if a part of me is missing all day.
Then again, it's interesting who we do become and what kind of a person we truly are when we distance ourselves from the technology. I spent three months backpacking around South East Asia in December 06 to Feb 07, and to be honest I never knew who I truly was and what I was capable of until I let go of everything that was shielding me from thoughts and actions previously unknown to me. Spend a minimum of 10 hours on a bus every couple of days for twelve weeks and you begin to look inside and actually think about things, rather than observe. And boy oh boy, did I have some interesting things to say to myself.

That concept brings us to the social complexities of the topic and the impact it's having on our society. What kind of adults WILL Generation Y become? And how is this technology affecting us? But those are topics best suited to another forum.

I have really gotta start finding some like-minded people at uni and see what kind of research everyone's up to on this topic. Oh, and I'm trying to find a case study on the marketing strategies of 42 Below, so if anyone out there knows anyone in a position of power...?

Thanks for indulging me. It's been an interesting last few days.