"Boredom is both a warning that we are not doing what we want to be doing and a 'push' that motivates us to switch goals and projects" (Elpidorou).

Professor Bauer

ENG 101

29. November 2016

Project 4 Defense

      I arranged my media on my Padlet in a particular way to make my argument that sensory overload due to modern technology is harmful because it deprives us of boredom. I argued that boredom is crucial for our growth of individuals. To start out, I chose the quote from comedian Louis C.K. because he gives an interesting perspective on boredom. He claims that we cannot possibly be bored with the endless amount of opportunity that the world provides us. I chose to put this quote close to my thesis because it summarizes in a very general way what my arguments for project 4 and all of my other projects were. Next to the thesis, I put a quote from philosopher Bertrand Russel because it gives another perspective of boredom that I agree with and that summarizes my argument. On the right of my thesis, I put a quote from one of my primary sources in my annotated bibliography that defines boredom in a positive light, which is what I attempted to do in this project. It equates boredom to motivation and gives the audience a perspective on boredom that is unique and that they might not have heard already. The tone of my Padlet changes from serious and deep to humorous with the baby meme to the right of the quote from Elpidorou. I included this picture because it would keep the audiences attention, make them laugh, and further illustrate the definition of boredom as a desperate search for meaning and significance. It also points out the negative outcomes that can come from boredom. With Elpidorou's quote in mind, we know that we can transform boredom into motivation and we do not need to metaphorically "shit ourselves" to cure boredom.

      The next line of media images concerns the problems with not having enough boredom due to sensory overload from modern society. I start out with a quote from Albert Einstein about how he believes that a quiet life can lead to an invigorated mind. I placed this here so that the rest of my argument would have credibility because one of the most brilliant scientists to ever live agrees with my stance on boredom. Lastly on this line, I included a quote from Steve Jobs about how he limits his children's technology time. Even the creator of Apple, one of the world's largest tech companies, believes that too much stimulation from technology is harmful. I put the quotes for this line at the beginning and at the end because the audience is reminded of the credibility of my argument before and after they look at the pictures that support my argument in the middle. Second from the left I included a stock image of a busy Times Square. I placed this here to show next to the Einstein quote because it is an extreme contrast to the quiet, country life that he praised. everyone in the picture seems to be very busy and overstimulated from the numerous advertisements. Nobody in the picture seems to be stopping just to slow down or think. I placed the cartoon next to the quote from Steve Jobs because it illustrates the negative effects of overusing technology. Not only are the people in physical danger from cars, but they are blind to what is happening in front of them because they are too distracted by their phones. Overall, I chose to address the second part of my thesis in the first line and the first part in the second line because it made more sense for my argument. It is important to know the positives of boredom before making an argument against the over-use of technology because the audience cannot understand the point of limiting the use of technology without first realizing the benefits of doing so. On the last line, I put links to my three primary sources from my annotated bibliography in case the audience wants to further research my subject and view more detailed and elaborate forms of my argument. I put these sources last because they are just links and they could distract from the main images and quotes that I thought best summarized my argument. These sources are mostly meant for further reading on my topic for those interested or support for my argument for those who are not yet convinced.

 

Works Cited 

"Bored Baby Meme Generator." Bored Baby Meme Generator - Imgflip. N.p., n.d. Web. 29                              Nov.2016.

Carroll, B. J., P. Parker, and K. Inkson. "Evasion of Boredom: An Unexpected Spur                                          to Leadership?" Human Relations 63.7 (2010): 1031-049. Web.

Elpidorou, Andreas. "The Bright Side of Boredom." Frontiers. Ed. Jeffrey Yoshimi. John David

             Eastwood, 3 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

"FarahZulkifly.Wordpress.com." Farah Zulkifly. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

"FLOW PSYCHOLOGY." Wordpress.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Koerth-Baker, Maggie. "Why Boredom Is Anything but Boring." Nature.com. Nature Publishing

            Group, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016. 

Limited, Alamy. "Stock Photo - Manhattan New York USA United States America Times                         Square Advertising Advertisements Architecture Busy City Colourful Colours."                          Alamy. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

""Patience and Boredom Are Closely Related. Boredom, a Certain Kind of Boredom, Is                          Really Impatience. You Don't like the Way Things Are, They Aren't                                                Interesting Enough for You, so You Deccide- and Boredom Is a Decision-that You Are Bored." - Bertrand Russell."                  Quoteaddicts. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

"Steve Jobs Quotes About Tech." QuotesGram. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

"219,000 Minutes of Emptiness." Wordpress.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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