Download The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30) AudioBook Free
Let's take stock of young America. Compared to previous years, American youth have significantly more schooling (school enrollments have never been higher); more income ($100 weekly in disposable income); more free time (five hours each day); and even more reports and information (Internet, The Daily Show, RSS feeds). What do they do with all that time and money? They download, upload, IM, post, talk, and network. (Nine of their top sites are for social networking.) They watch television and play video games (2 to 4 time per day). And here's what they don't do: They don't really read, even online (two thirds aren't experienced in reading); they don't follow politics (most can't name their mayor, governor, or senator); they don't maintain a fast work ethic (just ask employers); plus they don't vote regularly (45 percent can't comprehend a ballot). They are the dumbest generation. They enjoy all the benefits of a prosperous, high-tech culture. Digital technology has fabulously empowered them, loosened the hold of elders. Yet adolescents use these tools to cover themselves in a generational cocoon filled with puerile banter and coarse images. The founts of knowledge are just about everywhere, but the rising generation camps in the desert, exchanging tales, pictures, tunes, and text messages, savoring the thrill of peer attention. If they don't change, they'll be remembered as fortunate ones who were unworthy of the privileges they inherited. They may even be the generation that lost that great American traditions, forever.
