not so special

The Chronicle of Higher Education asked scholars and artists what they think will be the "defining idea of the next decade." Jaron Lanier (You Are Not a Gadget) responded:

Consider the common practice of students blogging, networking, or tweeting while listening to a speaker. At a recent lecture, I said: "The most important reason to stop multitasking so much isn't to make me feel respected, but to make you exist. If you listen first, and write later, then whatever you write will have had time to filter through your brain, and you'll be in what you say. This is what makes you exist. If you are only a reflector of information, are you really there?" Jaron Lanier: The End of Human Specialness

Consider, indeed.