4 ms·

Do you feel like this is ultimately related to the medium or to the content as well? Intuitively new media won't have as much (good quality) content as books, s

by chpmrc 7y ago

Do you feel like this is ultimately related to the medium or to the content as well? Intuitively new media won't have as much (good quality) content as books, so that might be the main issue here.

perfunctory 7y ago
I feel like it's appropriate to mention this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message
tw1010 7y ago
Quality schmality. Many books I read do little more than just enumerate facts (e.g. history books, especially the dry ones). The reason I remember the facts I read in books and don't remember a lot of the random bits of knowledge I've seen on "history of ancient rome" twitter accounts, or whatever, is because I set aside large blocks of undistracted time to read, where I allow myself to imagine the scenarios described (without feeling pressure to get back to work, nor have some "hey I wonder what casey neistat is doing"-type voice distracting me from really absorbing what I'm reading) and think a lot about how what I'm learning connects to what I've learned before. Another kinda big reason I can find it harder to learn via the internet vs books is because there's so much deception online. You get primed to always think and try to figure out "ok, how much of this is marketing, or signalling, or the author just spewing BS, and how much is something I can rely on", which takes away cognitive resources from what otherwise could have been spent on building a rich and secure knowledge-base.
bosie 7y ago
> Intuitively new media won't have as much (good quality) content as books care to share that intuition? this doesn't seem obvious to me unfortunately
- chpmrc 7y ago
  Books have been around for thousands of years, websites like YouTube for just over a decade.
  - bosie 7y ago
    I don't see the argument line here. Because books have been around for thousands of years we have perfected the creation of books (at least compared to videos)? In terms of raw quantities I suppose most books written in 2018 and most videos produced in 2019 were rubbish
- asdff 7y ago
  Experts in the field might not have much time to make and promote a youtube channel, because they are busy writing these books and papers.
chongli 7y ago
I'm not the parent but if I had to guess, I'd say it's the way new media seems to erode our ability to concentrate for long periods of time. YouTube et al provide us with endless stimulation such that we never allow ourselves to get bored anymore. Then, if we're doing something we may find tedious and difficult (say, grinding problems from a math textbook) then we can't handle the lack of stimulation and get restless as a consequence. Taking a break from all of that stimulation is a good way to quiet our minds and relearn how to focus.

by chpmrc 7y ago

Do you feel like this is ultimately related to the medium or to the content as well? Intuitively new media won't have as much (good quality) content as books, so that might be the main issue here.

perfunctory 7y ago

I feel like it's appropriate to mention this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message

tw1010 7y ago

Quality schmality. Many books I read do little more than just enumerate facts (e.g. history books, especially the dry ones). The reason I remember the facts I read in books and don't remember a lot of the random bits of knowledge I've seen on "history of ancient rome" twitter accounts, or whatever, is because I set aside large blocks of undistracted time to read, where I allow myself to imagine the scenarios described (without feeling pressure to get back to work, nor have some "hey I wonder what casey neistat is doing"-type voice distracting me from really absorbing what I'm reading) and think a lot about how what I'm learning connects to what I've learned before. Another kinda big reason I can find it harder to learn via the internet vs books is because there's so much deception online. You get primed to always think and try to figure out "ok, how much of this is marketing, or signalling, or the author just spewing BS, and how much is something I can rely on", which takes away cognitive resources from what otherwise could have been spent on building a rich and secure knowledge-base.

bosie 7y ago

> Intuitively new media won't have as much (good quality) content as books care to share that intuition? this doesn't seem obvious to me unfortunately

chpmrc 7y ago
Books have been around for thousands of years, websites like YouTube for just over a decade.
- bosie 7y ago
  I don't see the argument line here. Because books have been around for thousands of years we have perfected the creation of books (at least compared to videos)? In terms of raw quantities I suppose most books written in 2018 and most videos produced in 2019 were rubbish
asdff 7y ago
Experts in the field might not have much time to make and promote a youtube channel, because they are busy writing these books and papers.

chongli 7y ago

I'm not the parent but if I had to guess, I'd say it's the way new media seems to erode our ability to concentrate for long periods of time. YouTube et al provide us with endless stimulation such that we never allow ourselves to get bored anymore. Then, if we're doing something we may find tedious and difficult (say, grinding problems from a math textbook) then we can't handle the lack of stimulation and get restless as a consequence. Taking a break from all of that stimulation is a good way to quiet our minds and relearn how to focus.