I read a story in the New Yorker last week called “Brain Candy” by Malcolm Gladwell, the author who wrote “The Tipping Point” one of my all time favorite books of late. Ok, I’m sort of lying since a friend of mine actually forwarded it to me, but I sometimes like to pretend that someday I may have time to read the New Yorker again–maybe when the kids are in college. The piece was about a book by Steven Johnson called, “Everything bad is good for you.”
In the book he theorizes that the reason we’re far “smarter” today than we were 50 years ago is in part due to pop culture. Yes, you heard me, the last episode of “24″ could potentially have more value in terms of cognitive development than reading a book! Sounds bizarre I know but if you really follow the logic it does make some sense. Take the example he gives about TV shows of the 70’s like “Starsky and Hutch” which follows two characters in a very linear format and compare it to a more complex show like “The Sopranos.” You expend far more effort to follow all the different plot lines and characters. Today’s TV engages the viewer as it never has in the past making us work far harder to keep up. He makes a similar argument about video games.
What makes this book intriguing to me and why I’ll definitely read it is because he takes a very analytical view of pop culture without judging it. No longer does my Wednesday “Alias” night (which by the way I share with two of my other girlfriends) have to be my secret guilty pleasure. I can feel good about it knowing that my mind is actually exercising while I’m watching JGar kick some serious butt! I’m not advocating for more TV or time in front of the computer but it does seem like this book is one more tool to help me worry a little bit less and play more…
Posted on May 29th, 2005 by Sam
Filed under: Research
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