Obama Complains About iPads And Xboxes As Diversions
from the innovation-not-good-enough-for-you dept
You would think that, in an age when the President is supposed to be encouraging innovation, that new high tech products that are selling in massive numbers and are creating new uses for technology and new ways to communicate and share information would be seen as a good thing. And, as a President often considered to be more "technologically savvy" than his predecessors (and who fought hard not to give up his Blackberry after getting into office) that President Obama would be careful before blatantly slamming some of the most popular technologies around. No such luck. Obama was known, back during his campaign, for occasionally arguing against video games for children, but now he seems to be going further. In a recent Commencement address at Hampton University, President Obama first admitted that he didn't know anything about some modern technologies, but that didn't stop him from lambasting them either:"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation."Huh? Yes, it may be true in some cases, but such a blanket statement across all of those things is blatantly wrong. Ridiculously wrong. Information can be a distraction, but it's also incredibly empowering, and yes, that includes on iPods, iPads, Xboxes and Playstations. In fact, turning information into entertainment is often a very good way of helping to empower people. While he's right to be concerned about false information that can be found online, as he discusses in the speech, the proper response is not a blanket attack on the tools people use to access the information, but on recognizing that you fight misinformation with better information. You fight ignorance with education. And you recognize that these kinds of technological innovations and tools can help with that, in that they can spread good information and education, rather than being seen as part of the problem.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: president obama, technology
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
"I don't know how those playboxes and iwhatchamacallits work, but I'm sure they are up to no good and are in fact ruining our kids."
Stick to the facts, mister President. Leave the tech to people who DO know a thing or two about them.
BTW, is the internet also a big truck in the White House?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
"Ads for Democratic politician Barack Obama are appearing in an Electronic Arts high-speed racing game. This appears to be the first time that a presidential candidate has bought in-game advertising."
So it's good enough to get a few votes but after you win . . . .
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
He is in the white house to support the entrenced monopolies. Cell phones, concerts, e-books, texting, Social media, video games, chatting online, blogging, reading news aggregators, are reducing the time we are spending on classic entertainment like TV, movies, and shiny disks. I used to watch about 2 hours of TV a night. I am now down to 4 hours a week because of all these other distractions and hobbies I have discovered. Using me as an example it doesnt bode well for non interactive media in the long run.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Uh oh.
I absolutely love comments by people when the first thing they announce is their ignorance. Makes the rest of their words pointless rhetoric.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Wow!
I've got news for him - not everyone cares about politics and in the majority of cases most won't care until it affects them directly. I find it horrible ironic that the main reason he got elected was because of people that were relatively ignorant about him, his core politics, and politics in general ended up voting him into office. You'd think he'd be happy that there were a bunch of entertainment junkies that bought into his feel good BS.
Freedom
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Wow!
That's when he speaks without his 21 year old speech writer preparing it for him.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Wow!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Young Children
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Young Children
you point is, however, valid to some extent :D
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Oof....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Oof....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Seriously...
Are you seriously telling me that the President of any country that is in chaos is going to waste time talking about this?? Please get him a couple of interns and make a new division of government or something don't waste your breath.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I'm definitely not bipartisan...
He gave an iPod to Queen Elizabeth, supposedly uses one himself and yet claims he doesn't know how to use it? Why did he go out of his way to alienate an increasingly tech-savvy electorate?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
oh brother
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: oh brother
seriously, tell me you didn't just type that
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: oh brother
If he wanted to say that, he should have said that -- not blamed the technology.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: oh brother to you
I can understand if he actually came out and made a direct speech about kids spending too much time in front of consoles, TV, indoors and they need to break their time up with other activities but he doesn't say that.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: oh brother
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Fake Reporting...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Same old crap
"none of which I know how to work" see below.
http://images.crackberry.com/files/kevin/presidentobama.jpg
"information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment"
Yeah!!! Cant have all that pesky information running around now.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
a bit misleading
"And meanwhile, you're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank that high on the truth meter. And with iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- (laughter) -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy.
Class of 2010, this is a period of breathtaking change, like few others in our history. We can't stop these changes, but we can channel them, we can shape them, we can adapt to them. And education is what can allow us to do so. It can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: a bit misleading
He forgot, "all the while trying not to get sued by using them, since we're all about intellectual property enforcement."
Oops.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: a bit misleading
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: a bit misleading
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: a bit misleading
So get off your high horse, and lets attempt to make the president, our president, do a good job, even if we have differing opinions on what that is.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: a bit misleading
I don't see how my quote was taken out of context. He still is blaming the technology, saying that on those devices information because a distraction, a diversion and a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment.
That's a blanket statement that's wrong.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: a bit misleading
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: a bit misleading
*shrug* Maybe he really doesn't know how to work an Xbox...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: a bit misleading
"With so many voices clamoring for attention on blogs, and on cable, on talk radio, it can be difficult, at times, to sift through it all; to know what to believe; to figure out who's telling the truth and who's not. Let's face it, even some of the craziest claims can quickly gain traction. I've had some experience in that regard. Fortunately, you will be well positioned to navigate this terrain. Your education has honed your research abilities, sharpened your analytical powers, given you a context for understanding the world. Those skills will come in handy."
I guess I view his speech as a whole saying 'education is key to sifting through the misinformation and forming your own opinion as you venture ahead in times where information and misinformation is everywhere." So i agree that what you quoted is wrong, but the overall message of the speech falls in line (more or less) with your overall point.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: a bit misleading
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: a bit misleading
What he doesn't like is when he gets called out on his BS. If it were up to him, all you would hear is an MSNBC slanted take on everything he did. If it goes against him, it doesn't rank high on the truth meter.
He's simply saying he doesn't like to be examined under the same microscope that Clinton and Bush have been with it getting amplified year by year.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
re: Obama Complains About iPads And Xboxes As Diversions
Think of it - most / some of you were growing up without a cell-phone attached to your wrist, without a PlayStation planted infront of your TV, this list can go on.
Remember what were you doing then - you actually went-out to see your friends, play sports, explore your surroundings, God forbid went to a museum, a theatre, etc... - now you sit infront of a computer, checking your email on the phone, playing video games on TV - this cultural phenomenon is NOT sustainable - and THANK GOD for a President who see's thru this and says - WE ARE BECOMING SLAVES TO TECHNOLOGY GADGETS.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: re: Obama Complains About iPads And Xboxes As Diversions
But the technological world also opens our minds to information about the world which we have access to at our fingertips from multiple different sources. It allows us to cross check references in a way that would have been so much harder just a few years ago. Surely he knows this, yes it is used for entertainment but it also is used for understanding our world and environs. I think he is frightened of this, the more we understand, the more we think, the more we are in touch easier with people around the world the more we can judge him.....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: re: Obama Complains About iPads And Xboxes As Diversions
It's the same 20 years ago as it is today. Keep your kids out from sitting in front of the TV or computer all hours of the day. The principle hasn't change. He just doesn't like the scrutiny that he's under in this day and age where everything he says is now recorded and almost immediately broadcasted in some form.
Nowhere did I see him say anything even close to what you're saying. You took what he said and made an assumption of what you think out of your blind allegiance to a horrific president.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: re: Obama Complains About iPads And Xboxes As Diversions
Life was simpler because we never were exposed to how complex things really are.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
no distraction
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The line
"some of which don’t rank all that high on the truth meter"
Reminds me of his, office of IP enforcement, and the USTR ... well that and anytime any politician opens his mouth to talk.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ops Not The Las Vegas Remark Again
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Distraction
He's effectively used a distraction to discuss a distraction.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ouch!
Just goes to show you... Actually, I'm not even going to say it, considering I am a Conservative and a Mac user, since 84.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Open your eyes, folks...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Open your eyes, folks...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Open your eyes, folks...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Why is our President giving graduation speeches?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Why is our President giving graduation speeches?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Why is our President giving graduation speeches?
Sure, this President isn't as techie as people wanted him to be, but still compared to Bush or McCain he was a techie. And his statement that information becomes a distraction ... rather than a tool of empowerment, well has any of you ever seen a Bing commercial? I'd say the point is spot-on.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Why is our President giving graduation speeches?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Why is our President giving graduation speeches?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I Think
Look at the agenda, not the message.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Just another distraction.
After talking with a friend who seems to think Apple's new business model with spread to other devices I was just thinking to myself what a world that was run by Ipads would be like. Would it be a world strangely absent of content creation and creativity that we see currently? I think the answer is yes.
The Iphone and Ipad in particular with their "app" store seems to be focusing on limiting people's options and preventing creativity especially by the end user. In a world were devices should be increasingly open to match the modern progression of society they stand apart, almost a throwback to the 20th century.
I really think that Steve Job's has taken Apple down the road of retardation. I can hardly think of the Ipad as a device that would allow end users to create. So much for the artists and creative types who normally swear by Apple.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Leave me alone
Videogames "emancipate" me at least temporarily from living in this corrupt, poisoned and shitty world.
Without my passion for videogames I would be dead a long time ago.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
One thing
Turning information into entertainment, putting into a reference that we can more easily understand is one of the easiest ways to ensure that information spreads. That's why things like LeapFrog and TeacherMate have become such broadly reaching educational tools. What is Mr. Obama thinking?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You're way off here!
This is not Obama decrying the dangers of new technologies, or discounting the benefits of innovation (as you so egregiously put it - why you would say that is beyond me!). Basically the problem is that with all our new GADGETS (tablets, smartphones - even video game consoles) the way our news comes to us is taken less seriously, with less scrutiny, but more importantly, AS A DISTRACTION. We go to Wikipedia and surf for hours about nothing, or check out our news feed and hours later realized we accomplished nothing. This is made easier with toys.
Obama thinks the solution to being overloaded with access to information but still keying in on important points is education. What else can we do to avoid distractions, even distractions that - at the surface - seem meaningful? These are honestly the kinds of questions I'd check out Lifehacker for, not Techdirt, but that's what he seems to be talking about. Dealing with information in the 21st century, not burning books because there are too many of them.
Simply put, you're asking the wrong questions, you're giving the wrong answers, and you're making the wrong criticisms. You said, and I quote:
"While he's right to be concerned about false information that can be found online, the proper response is not a blanket attack on the tools people use to access the information ... you fight ignorance with education."
Well, obviously! That's the president's point! How did you miss that one? He said the solution is EDUCATION, and he said we need to ADAPT to technologies. So, with all due respect tell me again what YOUR point is?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]