ABSTRACT
THE CHALLENGE OF LISTENING IN HIGH-TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENTS Decades ago we realized that technology would transform the nature of human communication, creating not only a global village but a different sort of world. The first impact was from radio and television-mass media that continue to have a pervasive influence in most Western cultures. Not only does this technology affect your listening behavior, but in some instances the media may also be listening to you. Electronic billboards can now monitor radiation leakage from your car antenna and use this information to determine which radio station you are listening to so that billboards might target their advertisements to the most popular stations’ demographics (Barrios, 2003; Emling, 2003). Television’s impact on both individuals and culture has long fascinated-and worried-scholars in the field. Does programming influence attitudes and behavior? Are children predisposed to more violent, aggressive acts after viewing cartoon characters who handle disagreements by clubbing their enemies on the head or pushing them over a waterfall? Do young people learn what life is like vicariously, through images on the screen in their living room? For the thousands who watch hours of television each week, it may be their primary means of socialization, shaping their perceptions of the world they cannot experience firsthand.
