White Noise in the Brain
This may start a little long-winded, but please bear with me.
I am on the autism spectrum. I'm on the higher end, so I could easily pass as 'normal' and call it a day. When I was younger, though, there was no way you couldn't tell because quite simply I was more intense and hadn't yet figured out how to properly be me.
Why bring this up, you may ask? We're talking about public discourse, but you're showing off your diagnosis?
I bring this up because one of my salvations as a child, so to speak, was television. Through television I was able to understand the world better and not be totally overwhelmed. As I write this, perhaps salvation is not the right word. No, it's not; the right word is escape.
I loved being with my family, don't get me wrong, but there were days I sometimes needed television to help me get through the day and cope with life as a whole. I'll admit that I still hold onto the vice of being on some form of electronics far too much.
I know many of my friends I've met here at school are similar. Lots of YouTube, lots of Netflix, all sorts of electronic-related escape. All of this together, while being a new form of communication and connection, leads to what I think of as white noise in the brain.
Postman talks about the decentralization of news and reality through the induction of the telegraph and photograph, and throughout the years thanks to advances in technology of all kinds, we're now in this state of having white noise constantly going, having something in front of our face or in our ears without really processing it. Postman is only referring to the mid 1900s or so, but it's safe to say (near as I can tell) that the trend has grown exponentially to today.
What's the last time you watched one episode of a show and stopped there? The last time you only played one round of a computer game? The last time you had the conscious thought to stop, that maybe you need to lay off the electronics for a while? I know I ping pong around from one game to another to YouTube and back to the first game and-well, you get the idea.
If you take nothing else away from this post, perhaps I have a suggestion. Next time you watch a show on Netflix, next time you play your favorite game...only stop at one. One episode on Netflix, one round of the game, and do something else. Read a good book, meditate, even just think about what you watched or played without continuing to watch or play. I can't imagine any of us would have immediate changes to our behavior if we did this...but I would hope that bit by bit we can try to unplug and give our brain a rest.
You bring up a very interesting point about white noise. I think it is hard for us to give ourselves a "rest" from everything today because we are constantly surrounded by something. Stores play calming music to encourage us to shop longer, the news is ever-going in order to keep people "up-to-date," and we have technology at our fingertips. It is so easy to try and distract ourselves with something whenever we want to. When did it become more socially acceptable to stare at our phones instead of hold a conversation with the stranger next to us? It is as if we feel compelled to be distracted by something, and our phones or technical devices provide the easiest solution. I think your challenge is interesting, because I know I could do it, I just simply do not want to. However, I feel that the white noise in our brains will eventually leave us longing for silence.
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be ironic because, as I type this, I'm on what I can only estimate to be my ninth episode of Big Mouth. I know that I have a bad habit of binge-watching shows, but the timing of your post really emphasized this for me - it forced me to really think about how many episodes I've watched in the span of a couple of hours.
ReplyDeleteI understand that watching only one episode, playing only one game, etc. may be beneficial; however, part of me is concerned about how I would feel if I did so. As sad as it sounds, I've become quite enamored with television...so much so that I'm not sure what I would do with myself if I didn't constantly have it running. I could read, which I do enjoy doing...but I don't think I'd be capable of focusing on that for as long as I'm capable of focusing on a TV show. I'm sure that, after time, I would grow used to the silence and find other things to occupy my time, and I would most likely learn to appreciate the tranquility; however, part of me is scared of how I would feel prior to the feeling of appreciation. I tend to find comfort in my favorite shows, even if they're playing in the background - so how would I feel if I removed these from my daily "routine"?
After thinking it through, and considering the content of your post, I think I'm going to set a limit to how many episodes I watch, how many games I play, etc. Your post has made me face the unhealthy amount of television I watch, and for that I'm appreciative!
I like how you discuss white noise, as well as how often one really limits themselves to watching one episode of a TV show. Personally, I always use headphones in the morning and at night. I listen to music while getting ready, cleaning my apartment, and while making meals. I think it is interesting to view this as white noise. Visualizing music as white noise is a new way for me to think about how I listen to music. There are times when I actually pay attention to the music, and other times I use music while completing tasks around my apartment.
ReplyDeleteWhile I know many people who binge-watch TV shows, I usually do not find myself watching numerous episodes of a show at one time. Instead, there are times I am on my phone for way too long. I bet I am not the only one who spends too much time on their phones mindlessly scrolling through social media. Many people have become so consumed in their screens that smartphones provide a feature that can limit the user’s screen time. I think Postman would be astounded to learn of the existence of smartphones, let alone this specific feature.