Summary Of The Digital Nation

I found that the video, “The Digital Nation,” brought up many interesting points on the way our society uses technology in both positive and negative ways. These points include the MIT students’ constant need for stimulation and multitasking, Bubbe’s ability to connect with others through her online cooking show, and the idea that the increased time spent in the virtual world is blurring the line between what humans perceive as real and virtual. I liked the discussion of MIT students and how technology is making it harder for professors to keep them engaged and focused. There are so many distractions along with the need to be productive. Students are constantly doing homework, chatting with friends, and reading new information all at the same time in order to get everything done in one day. When it comes time for class, the MIT students grow easily bored with just listening to a lecture, and they cannot help but pull out their phones or computers to text someone

In the book, interactional vandalism is described as a case “in which a subordinate person breaks the tacit rules of everyday interaction that are of value to the more powerful person” (128). The Internet allows someone less powerful to call someone who is considered superior out for poor treatment while remaining anonymous. Anonymity takes away the fear of ruining one’s reputation in the eyes of another. To avoid this interactional vandalism online, the Korean government is emphasizing the teaching of Internet ethics and manners to students. A sign in the school’s hallway in the movie reads: “Our ancestors were known as the politest Eastern state. Now we are the kingdom of Internet etiquette." Korea is attempting to continue the same etiquette they expect to see in face-to-face social encounters in online