Good things come from bad: Mass culture makes us smarter

Author: Steven Johnson (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: The book is also quite cliché, basically trying to convince readers to finally believe one thing: mass culture in the recent 30 years has shown a more complex and intellectually stimulating overall trend. Although many critics believe that modern mass culture has entered the "low-end" and is becoming increasingly "dull" (as George Will puts it, "this increasingly childish society"), I see a picture of progress: mass culture is becoming more mature and requires stronger cognitive engagement year by year. Let's view this phenomenon as a positive "brainwashing": although the mass entertainment that captivates us is often despised as useless junk, it is steadily and almost imperceptibly sharpening the minds of those who are addicted to it. I call this upward trend the " Sleeper Curve," named after a classic scene in the science fiction film Sleeper directed by Woody Allen: a group of scientists from the year 2173 are surprised to discover that people in the 20th century were completely unaware of the nutritional value of cream puffs and cream candies.