Abstract
This paper grew out of a larger study designed to investigate the usage patterns and effects of the introduction of the personal computer and the Internet in both the contemporary workplace and the home. During the course of analysis of the data collected several paradoxes associated with this usage emerged. The first, and in many ways the most important, was the paradox between the ability of Internet-based communication and software computer programs to facilitate the educational process while at the same time altering the learning patterns of the student users, affecting writing, and potentially affecting their cognitive processing. Secondly, while the usage of these technologies fulfilled the early expectations for creating a more efficient work place, it also created a new demand for increased production. This new expectation has blurred the line between professional and personal time with the usage of these technologies entering domestic space and has created the potential for anxiety and disjuncture. Thirdly, in research endeavors, these technologies have allowed people to collect and evaluate data in newer and quicker ways; however the demand for increased productivity has also altered the research function as attention is directed toward the production of papers and not the development of grander explanatory theories. Also, while the use of many Internet-based communication modalities promotes mobility, their constant use can also contribute to the avoidance of personal contact, isolation, and egocentric behavior. This paper describes these paradoxes and concludes by examining the emerging trends and patterns that these paradoxes have come to reinforce.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brundage, A. (2008). Going to the sources: A guide to historical research and writing (4th ed.). Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson.
Cairncross, F. (2001). The death of distance: How the communication revolution is changing our lives. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing a grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. New York: Sage.
Chesebro, J. W. (1984). The media reality: Epistemological functions of media in cultural systems. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 1, 111–130.
Chesebro, J. W., & Bertelsen, D. A. (1996). Analyzing media: Communication technologies as symbolic and cognitive systems. New York: The Guilford Press.
Doidge, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. London: Penguin Books.
Dretzin, R. (2008). Growing up online [Film]. Available from Public Broadcasting System, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA.
Gebser, J. (1949 & 1953/1984). The ever present origin (trans: Barstad, N. & Mickunas, A.). Athens, OH: Ohio University Press.
Glaser, B. G. (1998). Doing grounded theory: Issues and discussion. Mill Valley, CA: The Sociology Press.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine.
Grossman, W. M. (1997). Net.Wars. New York: New York University Press.
Hall, E. T. (1983). The dance of life: The other dimension of time. New York: Anchor Books.
Innis, H. A. (1950/1972). Empire and communication. Oxford: Claredon.
Innis, H. A. (1951/2003). The bias of communication. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Lash, B. (2003). Memoir of a homebrew computer club member. http://bob@bambi.net. Retrieved 7 Feb 2007.
LeDous, J. (2002). Synaptic self: How our brains become who we are. New York: Viking.
Mazlish, B. (1993). The fourth discontinuity: The co-evolution of humans and machines. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
McLuhan, M., & Fiore, Q. (1967). The medium is the message: An inventory of effects. Corte Madera, CA: Gingko Press Inc.
Meyrowitz, J. (1982). Television and interpersonal behavior: Codes of perception and response. In G. Gumpert & R. Cathcart (Eds.), Intermedia: Interpersonal communication in a media world (pp. 253–272). New York: Oxford University Press.
Meyrowitz, J. (1985). No sense of place: The impact of electronic media on social behavior. New York: Oxford University Press.
MITS Altair 8800 and Santa. (1975). Retrieved July 9, 2009 from http://www.geocities.com/compcloset/Altair_8800_and_Santa.jpg.
Mumford, L. (1934/1963). Technics and civilization. New York: Harcord Brace & Company.
Ong, W. J. (1967). In the human grain: Further explorations of contemporary culture. New York: The MacMillan Company.
Ong, W. J. (1977). Interfaces of the word: Studies in the evolution of consciousness and culture. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Ong, W. J. (1982/2003). Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word. London: Routledge.
Palfrey, J. G., & Gasser, U. (2008). Born digital: Understanding the first generation of digital natives. New York: Basic Books.
Postman, N. (1993). Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology. New York: Vintage Books.
Richie, D. A. (2003). Doing oral history: A practical guide (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Robertson, G. (2007). The history of the personal computer in TV commercials. Retrieved August 16, 2007 from http://www.downladsquad.com/2007/01/30/the-history-of-the-personal-computer-in-tv-co.
Rosenzwig, R., & Thelen, D. (1998). The presence of the past: Popular uses of history in American life. New York: Columbia University Press.
Schwartz, J. M., & Begley, S. (2002). The mind and the brain: Neuroplasticity and the power of mental force. New York: Regan Books.
Segaller, S. (Producer/Director), Cringely, R. X., & Gau, J. (Writers). (1998). Nerds 2.0.1: A brief history of the internet [Television Broadcast]. Alexandria, VA: Public Broadcasting Service.
Seuss, D. (1957). The grinch that stole christmas. New York: Random House.
Small, G., & Vorgan, G. (2008). iBrain: Surviving the technological alteration of the modern mind. New York: Harper-Collins.
Strauss, A. L. (1987). Qualitative analysis for social scientists. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. London: Sage.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Tapscott, D. (2009). Grown up digital: How the net generation is changing your world. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Turkle, S. (1984). The second self: Computers and the human spirit. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the squid: The story and science of the reading brain. New York: HarperCollins.
Wozniak, S. (2004). Homebrew and how the apple came to be. Retrieved December 26, 2006 from http://www.atariarchives.org/deli/homebrewand_how_the_apple.php.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moellinger, T. Santa or the Grinch: Paradoxes Presented by the Use of Today’s Popular Media. Hum Stud 33, 205–220 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-010-9164-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-010-9164-7