Quotables On The Road To 52

"This is almost as good as being an Oprah book."

- William Blum, historian, on the spike in sales of his book, Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower, after Osama bin Laden said in his recently released audio message that Americans ought to read it for its perspectives on international interference

And just like that, I'm one book closer to completing my list of 52.


In this past week's Sunday Business Section of the New York Times, there is an article concerning the media consumption habits of those born between 1980 and 2000, known as milennials. The article discusses millennials diversion from the typical TV screen (iPod video, downloads, etc.), their use of mobile devices, their multi-touch point media experience, their constant daily media dialogue, email/text/instant messaging, and blogs (of course). It also briefly considers the sociological and developmental impact that these technologies and communication vehicles have on individuals and society as a whole. Some excerpts:

"'We think that the single largest differentiator in this generation from previous generations is the social network that is people's lives, the part of it that technology enables,' said Jack McKenzie, a senior vice president at Frank N. Magid Associates, a market research and consulting firm specializing in the news media and entertainment industries.
'What's hard to measure, and what we're trying to measure,' Mr. McKenzie continued, 'is the impact of groupthink, of group mentality, and the tendency of what we might call the democratization of social interaction and how that changes this generation's relationship with almost everything they come in contact with.'"
"For the millennials, he said, 'reliance and trust in nontraditional sources - meaning everyday people, their friends, their networks, the network they've created around them - has a much greater influence on their behaviors than traditional advertising.'"

"'You've got a group of kids who are unbelievably, incredibly loyal to each other,' says Dr. Levine [from the UNC School of Medicine]. 'They are very bound to ethics and values. But in a funny sort of way, it prevents some of them from developing as individuals.' Along with finding technological dexterity in this group, and a highly developed ability to work in team settings, Dr. Levine said he had encountered concerns that some young people lacked the ability to think and plan for the long term, that they withered without immediate feedback and that the machinery of groupthink had bred a generation flush with loyal comrades but potentially weak on leaders.

Riiiiight up my alley...Likewise, if there is a book that explores this subject matter in greater depth, we'll be even another step closer to 52.