SCREEN TIME IS A CHANGING - 06.19.2024
June 19, 2024
I'm novelist Richard V. Rupp, writing to you from Burbank, California – "Media Capital of the World."
Welcome to my monthly newsletter on Juneteenth National Independence Day. Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. It
marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed.
This post addresses how screens now control much of what we do, what I'm hearing from the movie industry crews here in Burbank, why you need to read books, and my concern about what's happening with orange juice.
SCREEN TIME
How much of your day are you looking at a smartphone, computer screen, smart television, or other internet-connected device? As a research-oriented writer and lover of mystery shows, I spend a significant part of my day looking at screens.
According to a 2023 Nielsen Media Rating, Americans over 18 spend an average of 59 hours and 56 minutes with media per week (which amounts to 8 hours and 34 minutes per day). A 2022 Pew Research Center study indicates that 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 use a social media platform "almost constantly."
Numerous studies indicate that it's crucial to be aware of the potential dangers of excessive screen time. In today's world, this is not easy, and given how things are evolving, screen time is going to be more and more present in our lives.
In my upcoming novel SKYWARD, my space pioneers who have set out to colonize the universe rely heavily on devices with screens. The confines of space do not allow for books or even paper of any kind. The space colonists' existence relies on screens and the devices they are connected to keep them safe. Looking around me today, it's clear that we are moving in that direction here on Earth. The human adjustment to screens and their potential impact on us is a thought-provoking topic. We are not going to get rid of them, and from what I can tell, we are going to rely on them increasingly.
Writing about screen time came to my mind because of the recent changes Microsoft, Google, and Apple have made to using their devices to access data since the advent of Artificial Intelligence. My interest was further perked when the U.S. Surgeon General announced that he wants Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms like those required on cigarette packages. His report indicates that "While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.
Yesterday, as I was writing this, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board approved plans to ban cell phones on campus, saying the devices distract students from learning, lead to anxiety, and allow for cyberbullying.
When you use a Microsoft, Google, Apple, etc. screen, the vendor learns a lot about you (your location, preferences, activities, etc.). The host algorithms compile that information and modify the information they provide to you based on what they have learned. A recent government investigation of Google Search indicates that Google captures all sorts of information on its users, modifies their responses, and discriminates in the ranking of websites based on them.
The good news is that properly utilized screens make us more efficient and knowledgeable. The bad news is that they have many adverse mental and physical effects, ranging from cyberbullying to carpal tunnel syndrome. Even worse, various studies have indicated that they lead to obesity, sleep problems, behavioral issues for our youth, lower academic test scores, eye strain, neck pain, and social isolation.
My conclusion is that screens are here to stay, and we will increase our reliance on them. This is further evidenced by the changes being made in the business world as people and businesses accept and rely on them more and more. What we accept as traditional television is rapidly disappearing and being replaced by streaming services or smart televisions that have internet connectivity, which is like having a computer built into it that offers a wide range of services. And the major TV networks are losing their audiences to the new offering. In fact, now, there is an abundance of streaming services available, and consumers are becoming more selective about which ones they keep.
Believe me, screen time is changing what's happening in Burbank, the Media Capital of the World. And they will be changing the way you think, work, and live.
HOLLYWOOD CREW UPDATE
My Media Capital of the World watering hole is Story Tavern, where many behind-the-camera crew members spend time. The stories I hear from them are not good. Most of them are hurting and have not worked for months. One indicated to me he had gotten a job outside of the industry designing a restaurant theme, and another was designing lighting fixtures. I have been told some of the crew guys have given up on the industry and are moving out of town.
After the writers' and actors' strikes in 2023, there has been an anemic return to production.
In reviewing several industry reports, I have found that production is down as much as 50% compared to the pre-pandemic years. Many producers are moving their projects to Georgia, Canada, and Europe.
The threat of replacing crew jobs with AI is also a concern. This became more apparent when OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, introduced Sora, a tool that takes text-based prompts and uses them to generate photorealistic and even cinematic videos. There is no question that AI will create major changes in the industry.
Most of the crew members I have talked to feel the industry is in the process of a major change and will never return to what it was. Nobody seems to know what the new normal will be.
WHY YOU NEED TO READ BOOKS
Okay, I believe we will be spending more and more time looking at screens. But, according to a study by the University of Valencia in Spain, "print reading could boost skills by six to eight times more than digital reading. The University researchers analyzed more than two dozen studies on reading comprehension published between 2000 and 2022, which assessed nearly 470,000 participants to arrive at this conclusion.
"The association between frequency of digital reading for leisure and text comprehension abilities is close to 0," said Ladislao Salmerón, a professor at the University of Valencia who co-authored the paper. This may be because the "linguistic quality of digital texts tends to be lower than that traditionally found in printed texts," he added. Text on social media, for example, may be conversational and lack complex syntax and reasoning.
According to BrainFacts.org, "print is easier to comprehend than digital text." This website also indicates – that in 2016, Singer Trakhman examined undergraduates' reading comprehension after they read digital and print versions of articles. Format didn't affect their grasp of the main idea, but students missed details when reading on screens."
This is from the Educational Research Review, Volume 25, November 2018 – "With the increasing dominance of digital reading over paper reading, gaining an understanding of the effects of the medium on reading comprehension has become critical. However, results from research comparing learning outcomes across printed and digital media are mixed, making conclusions difficult to reach. . . .In conclusion, it is clear that digital-based reading is an unavoidable part of our daily lives and an integral part of the educational realm. Although the current results suggest that paper-based reading should be favored over digital-based reading, it is unrealistic to recommend avoiding digital devices."
I still love to hold a book in my hands.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ORANGE JUICE?
It started several months ago when I noticed that the frozen orange juice I had purchased for years at my supermarket was difficult to find. Recently, it has not been in the freezer section at all.
So, I Googled to find out what's happening. I found out that there is a global orange juice crisis caused by what's called a "citrus greening disease" and climate change. This has caused the cost of orange juice to increase by 20% and the movement away from frozen juice to bottled juice.
It does not appear the crisis is going to be resolved for some time or ever.
My doctor has told me that cranberry juice is better for me.
Yep, times are changing.
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If you are new to my posts and find this one interesting, you can read my prior posts, learn about my novels, and learn more about me on my website at www.richardvrupp.com. You can also sign up in the RUPP'S NOTES section to get my posts directly.
Until next month.
Cheers,
Richard V. Rupp, Author
Website – www.richardvrupp.com
Email – rupprisk@gmail.com
Copyright@2024 by Richard V. Rupp