What has the Internet killed?

With the rise of the internet over the last 15 years, our lives are clearly different.  Would anyone disagree?  Some may disagree on whether the difference is good or bad, but none will argue that our world looks different, as a result.

Some things have fallen victim to the internet phenomenon.  What has the internet killed?

According to Newsweek:
1) The 9 to 5 work day.
2) The Video Store
3) Concentration
4) Civility
5) The CD
6) The Telephone Book
7) Letter Writing
8) Vacations
9) Privacy
10) Facts
11) Polaroids and other film
12) Reference books
13) The Yearbook
14) The Peep Show

See the full article here.

I've found I am so deeply affected by the death of concentration the internet has catapaulted in my life.  With the overwhelming amount of options -- to read this quick Tweet, this quick blog entry, this quick news headline, this quick facebook note, etc.  The quicker, the better.

Don't expect to hold our generation's attention for more than 2 minutes.  It. just. won't. happen.

Did curiosity really kill the cat?

Our generation has been paralyzed.  Paralyzed by apathy.

We have been a generation brutally assaulted and that assault has led to utter apathy.

I fear we've become a generation who just simply doesn't care.  I fear we've become a generation who simply doesn't think deeply.  Who doesn't ask the hard questions.  Who doesn't place a high (if any) value on learning.

And not only am I a part of the problem, I am probably a major leader in it.

My days fill themselves with facebook gossip, questions of who the Bachelorette will pick, thoughts of which pair of shoes look best with this outfit, conversations concerning the latest Buckeye news, etc.

It's hard for me to think deeply about things in this culture of ours that's fast-paced.  That seems to pride itself on superficiality.  That seems to boast "political correctness," just to not offend anyone.  That offers something new, something bigger, something better, every three seconds.  That dishes out instant gratification.

And, no, this is definitely not a hate on our culture.  As a matter of fact, I love me some Jay-Z, I love me some facebook stalking, I love me some 160 character updates on people's current situations, I love me some instant Modern Family episodes, I love me some blogs, I love me some Amazon instant mp3's, and I love me some reality tv.  (But if we're being honest, I will never love the vampire fad.  What is that about, anyway)?

But in the midst of all these things that I indeed do love, I find it incredibly difficult to be a deep thinker.  I find it difficult to be an asker of meaningful questions.  I find it difficult to be a learner.

So, in light of these things, this year, I'm committed to being a learner.

Once a week, for every week of 2011, I will be asking one question and researching its answer.

Questions will be all over the board concerning hilarious things, spirituality, sports, working out, vocabulary, relationships, character, love, adulthood, hobbies, whatever.

This is simply for scatter-brained folks like myself, who desire to think deeply in a culture where the temptation to not do so is thoroughly pervasive.  This is for bums like myself who ask themselves millions of questions a day but are too scattered to ever search for answers.

Track with me if you want.  Or not.  Or just every so often.