The End of Conversation: The Impact of Mass Media on Modern Society

Franco Ferrarotti here offers a provocative look at the future of a world dominated by mass media–particularly television. He argues eloquently that the art of story-telling, the traditions of oral history, the simple pleasures of individual conversation are being lost, precisely because they embody qualities antithetical to the technological imperatives of mass society–qualities such as time to develop a thought, a thirst for details, patience, and a delight in the unexpected. He asserts that the mental habits prevailing in an age that places undue value on instantaneous images are incompatible with extended face-to-face dialogue.