AMERICAN COMMUNICATION IN THE TWENTY- FIRST CENTURY

Since the founding fathers created and signed the Constitution of the United States of America, the rights of all individuals in this country are legally defined and protected. The First Amendment states that all citizens have the right to freely express their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. Freedom of expression, therefore, is part of the American way. Schools encourage children early on to express themselves by promoting and teaching various communication skills that develop their individual social interactive skills and creative expression. This gives the Americans a competitive advantage and they certainly make use of it.


It is, therefore, of no surprise that Americans are among the biggest consumers of the most effective communication tool at present - the internet. 20% of all internet traffic is in the U.S and 30% of all IP addresses are owned by Americans, yet they only represent 5% of the global population. 9 out of 10 of the most popular websites are American and more than 50% of the satellite traffic is transferred through the United States. Here we have more TV stations, radio stations, news papers, and magazines than any country in the world, whether we consider this per capita or total numbers. There are approximately 115,000 journalists in this country.
I have cable television in my home, which offers no less than 1,000 channels of choice. There is the option of watching one of the several 24 hour news stations, all of them feverishly competing for our attention to the point of shouting the news at us, making sure that we hear them and their varied opinions on current events. The networks are aware that they are not only competing with each other, but competing with several other, more beloved electronic gadgets people cart around with them everywhere. If the networks have no breaking news or major tragedies to report, then the focus is usually politics, the economy, weather, and sports. And all of this information served to us through the biased lenses of the reporters and the networks. I find some of them unbalanced.
Aside from our televisions churning out non-stop information, with news anchors and commercials shouting at us at increased volume, we have now countless other means of receiving thousands of messages a day, sometimes whether we want it or not.
Life in the twenty-first century demands us to process an incredible amount of information on a daily basis causing various strains on people and their ability to cope. And yet, somehow we manage to do so, but at what cost? Our brains are still wired much the same as those of our ancestors and are not adapted to this rapid increase in stimulation coming from, not just televisions, but also personal computers, various communication devices, noise pollution, as well as increasingly demanding personal and professional lifestyles. Doctors and scientists today are finding it necessary to identify and treat various ailments seemingly related to the fast-paced and highly stressful lifestyles people have today, especially those of us in big cities like New York.
So, these days I often choose the now unconventional option of turning off the television, ignoring the gadgets and picking up a good old fashioned newspaper or a book.