Science, Technology, and Education: Mapping the Future by Steven Johnson (3-31-09)
April 2nd, 2009
When the topic of current popular culture comes up in “serious” conversation or writing, a common reaction is that this new culture is, at its worst, senseless drivel that is dominating and undermining our youth, and at its best, a means by which we can grab a little time to relax. When Steven Johnson writes and speaks about popular culture, however, a whole new view emerges. He argues that popular culture is evolving, that the most successful examples are complex and sophisticated, and that it is actually make us smarter!
Johnson demonstrates the evolution in popular culture with a comparison of current and past TV programs (for example, “Dragnet” and “Lost”), and through an analysis of the structure of video games. In the old TV series “Dragnet”, the plot was linear and formulaic, and the relationships between the very few characters were one-dimensional. In “Lost”, on the other hand, a series of plots and sub-plots exist, and to understand these requires the viewer to understand the complicated relationships between the many, many main characters, and a willingness to watch many episodes of the program.
Success when playing a video games, Johnson explains, requires hard work and commitment, attention to intricate detail and higher order thinking skills. He supposes, therefore, that the derision and condemnation of this form of entertainment is likely from people who have never actually tried to play the games, and they can only judge the game on the basis of the superficial subject matter (eg, Grand Theft Auto).
So, it appears that the general population, particularly the younger generation, is able and willing to engage in very intricate, convoluted, and complicated thinking, and in fact will suffer frustration and delayed gratification in the effort required to understand a TV show or succeed in moving to the next level in a video game. Given Johnson’s conclusions, it is not surprising that our educational systems are often found to be lacking from the points of view of both students and employers. Our educational methodologies need to also evolve so that students are just as engaged as they are in popular culture, and emerge from the educational experience with the ability to explore and solve the complicated problems facing us today.
So what do you think of this message from Steven Johnson? Is popular culture making us smarter or is it turning us into mindless zombies? I will be interested in your responses to what I thought was a very positive message about the current state of popular culture and how it might inform our educational practice.