mediated-environments
Human experiences of the world are increasingly indirect and processed through human-made environments, distancing people from direct interaction with natural processes.
1 chapter across 1 book
Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television (1978)Jerry Mander
This chapter explores how modern humans have become disconnected from direct, primary experiences of the natural world due to living in human-created, mediated environments. It argues that reliance on scientific institutions over personal observation, combined with urbanization and technological mediation, has led to a loss of awareness and understanding of natural processes and cycles, such as the growth of fruit, water cycles, and lunar influences. The author illustrates this through examples of scientific studies confirming obvious truths, children’s misconceptions about nature, and the diminished human sensitivity to natural phenomena like moonlight.