An idea that has gained renewed currency in recent years is that the proliferation of information technology has a deleterious effect on interpersonal relationships. Neil Postman, in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, asserted that television, as a medium, was incapable of fostering intelligent, meaningful discourse around a given subject. Postman wrote his book in the 1980s, when cable television was first becoming widely available. In it, he discusses the way that putatively "serious" news programs are inherently trite. Terse reports on serious, weighty issues such as the war in Iraq are juxtaposed with trivial information, such as celebrity gossip. Often the two are linked, one after another, by the phrase "and now. . ." This leaves the viewer unable to emotionally respond to something traumatic, as he is bombarded with disparate pieces of information in rapid succession. Instant access to a glut of information impoverishes genuine experiences, as it deprives the information of a meaningful context for interpretation.

Select the sentence in the passage in which the author cites a concrete example of how mass media has a desensitizing effect.





Consider each of the following choices separately and select all that apply.

Based on his views as they're expressed in the passage, Postman would likely agree with which of the following statements?

A. Information technologies such as smartphones are unlikely to provide meaningful contexts in which to interpret information.
B. Television programs inherently lack intelligent, meaningful discourse.
C.The medium in which factual content is delivered can be an important factor in how that content is interpreted.