Information seeking doesn't sleep...
Just a note that you can check out my response to this week's book at my blog : http://write-the-clock-around.blogspot.com/ The text editing software leaves something to be desired - so bare with me about the choppy indentation and paragraphing. Just consider it free-verse poetry.
posted by Belle And Sebastian @ 1:47 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Hi-
I really enjoyed reading Belle and Sebastian's post. It brings up many interesting issues. I can relate to it, as I am often finding myself meeting people who say they do not watch TV in a very condescending tone after I ask them if they have watched a particular program. There are many people who act as if they completely condemn technology. I feel that these people do not realize how comfortable technology has made their lives. For instance, who would be willing to give up ATMs, credit cards, or copy machines? I hope that more and more people will come to appreciate technology for what it is- a unique yet mutual exchange between two minds- a human connection, as the book authors clearly state.
For some though, Friends (as Quakers are also known) such technology is not always seen as something that is a needed part of life, but rather as something that is can be a cluttered complication. While this is not true for all Friends - for some who choose not to have a TV - it is a concious decision to live a more "Simple" life, so that their time and material resouces are spent on things that are more important to them.
What was interesting about the survey that I did however, was the high useage of radio - the Friends in the survey group were avid listeners of NPR and WORT-FM 89.9 and other independent media. It seemed from the results that for the population I surveyed ( and I must stress it was not a representative sample of even the local meetinghouse), the avid TV watching that one might find in another church congregation was replaced by avid radio listenership.
The focus of my survey was to gain insight into how we as a library professionals might reach out to Friends and it is clear that TV will not work for everyone. For some, TV is a great way to build awareness of programs and new books, but for other populations radio and targeted magazines are more relevant to the community and thus a better use of limited library resouces if one wants to reach out to a given community.
Speaking for myself though, as a Quaker, I watch some Tv. However, even my selective occasional episode of the Simpsons or Conan is more than most of my Quaker friends. But yes, I do notice the odd looks when I and my other TV watching Quaker friends scamper off to catch American Idol (oh did we catch the oddest of looks...but it was sooo worth it !)
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