Clip thinking: characteristics, pros and cons, methods of struggle

“Ok” is an American abbreviation that has firmly entered many languages ​​and cultures of the world, including ours. Few people think about where this combination of sounds came from, at the same time meaning “okay, okay, done” and so on. But according to one of the most common versions, this abbreviation came from the incorrect spelling of the English expression all correct, which translates as "everything is correct." In the first word “a” was replaced by “o” and received the ubiquitous “ok”. So began the development of a new kind of thinking - clip.

Clip thinking is a modern phenomenon. It is formed on the basis of the adoption of information in the form of small pieces. We can say that this is such a patchwork, which the brains of modern schoolchildren and young people gather in. Its main features:

• the absence of a whole picture, the world is seen in fragments;

• vivid images;

• illogical or even illogical perception of what is happening;

• fragmentation of knowledge;

• short-term memorization;

• out of context;

• fragmentation from the general picture of events.

Clip thinking is momentary. It does not provide an opportunity to delve deeply into the situation. Only her image remains in the head in the form of a bright passage - a clip. That gave the name to this "scourge" of the modern youth environment. Its main “custodians” and stewards are the means of communication. The Internet is full of bright headlines and short videos, after viewing which a person comes to the conclusion that he is already quite savvy in a particular issue.

We, without noticing it, digest a ton of information. Our brain is clogged with various messages, sometimes without any meaning.

The main and most terrible sign of clip thinking is expansion of the virtual circle of friends. A person no longer needs to go to visit a friend or to a party of classmates in order to chat “live”. He has dozens, or even hundreds of interlocutors in social networks.

The danger of such a lifestyle is that people do not have real friends. And when it becomes necessary to cry in a waistcoat or, conversely, share joy on the Internet, we get the same “ok”. The wrong English abbreviation remains with us in grief and joy, but cannot replace real emotional communication.

As a result without proper empathy or complicity, the person becomes depressed. This often leads to suicides. There are cases when users who “hung” in social networks, having not found understanding or simply not waiting for an answer from their virtual counterparts, settled their accounts with life. It also happens because short answers or comments are not always perceived adequately.

Several factors contribute to the development of clip thinking. Surprisingly, but one of its main prerequisites in our country was the development of democracy and freedom of speech. The information flow pouring on us from all the “irons” sometimes resembles a burst pipe of large diameter. And initially it seems that there is nothing wrong with what citizens want and can receive more diverse information.

But as a result, this high-speed stream literally knocks us down. We cannot stop him. However, sailing against this course, although difficult, is possible. But first you need to make out all the “holes” that can let this uncontrolled stream into our lives.

Often words, music and video, combined into one music video, do not correspond much to each other. This was especially pronounced in the nineties. When short stories shot under the motto “all the best at once” began to fall upon us from the screens.

Widespread along with the same clips at the end of the last century, the videos are firmly established in our world. Some are still firmly rooted in the subcortex of our consciousness. Bright, often shocking shots changed on the screen, but remained in our head. Complete the sentence - “Euroset, Euroset, prices are just ...” or “We have to go and you have to go with a fan factory ...”

Most of the population of our country can easily cope with this task.

With the advent of the wind of change in our country, which was launched by the first and only President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, informational tapes were full of a wide variety of messages. If earlier from the news release the citizens of our country could find out how much milk was milked by a milkmaid from the “Progress” state farm, which machine was produced at the giant factory “Red October”, which the secretary general said at the next plenum of the Central Committee, now all the restrictions have been lifted.

The media were forced to restructure their work. At ten minutes of news, they were supposed to fit the plot of how Princess Diana spent her honeymoon, and where Mikhail Gorbachev and her wife went, and what our first lady Raisa Maximovna was wearing, and how the children live in Africa, and much another.

As a result, the story of an event fit into a small television story, but always with vivid pictures. We did not remember what the heads of state were talking about, but their costumes remained in our memory as objects of our own wardrobe. Friendly print media joined them in such a massive informational television show. Long analytical materials disappeared from the pages of newspapers and magazines. They began to look more like comics. A vivid picture is a memorable signature. High-profile headlines became the main task of journalists. Remember this famous People Hawala?

Modern means of communication saved us from the need to turn on the TV every night to find out the latest news. Before you dial the desired number, we read the latest messages from news agencies. Before you start compiling a report on a computer or reading suggestions from partners in a post, we get acquainted with new messages on news portals and social networks. All events are described there briefly and, it would seem, clearly. But this is nothing but clip thinking, characteristic of both the authors of these notes and the consumers of their information.

It’s rare for anyone to figure out why this happened - we just have enough of what we learned about the event. Few seek to analyze what is happening. It is especially difficult to do this for children and adolescents. They, by virtue of age, cannot separate the grain from the chaff. They try to catch everything at once. As a result, children know everything and at the same time - nothing.

We do not have time to adequately respond to the information. Moreover, not only on what we get from "official" sources. See your SMS correspondence or in instant messengers and social networks. Instead of “thank you”, “SPS” was used, instead of “birthday” - “DR”, everyone's beloved New Year became a kind of “NG”. Open your child’s webpage. Most likely, part of what you wrote there you will not understand at all. Our children communicate in a language we do not understand.

Despite the fact that in psychology clip thinking is more often evaluated as a negative phenomenon, it has its advantages.

• A person with this type of thinking can quickly and clearly both receive and voice the necessary information. He will not go into details and analyze several messages. This makes it possible to reduce time. Many hours of study of literature in the reading room of the library are a thing of the past.

• Clip-thinking has a good reaction rate. It is not difficult for him to correspond with several recipients at once. It instantly switches from one topic to another. It takes only a few seconds for him to determine what most requires his attention, and what should not be paid to him at the moment.

• The ability to think with “clips” gives advantages in solving several problems at the same time. In the process of completing homework, a modern child still manages to correspond with friends, choose the musical accompaniment that suits him, he does not need to rummage through textbooks in order to remember one or another rule. He will instantly find it on the Internet or ask for help from classmates in their VK group. In parallel, he will order pizza, discounted goods in the online store. And of course, all this does not hurt to have a cup of coffee.

• A head working through clip thinking does not hurt. Children do not ask to turn off the TV.They do not get tired of the information, on the contrary, the child can simultaneously watch his favorite program, flip through the news feed and review messages from friends. He takes only the part he needs from the information flow, and therefore he does not overwork.

• Clip thinking allows you to absorb more information in less time. It was clip thinking that created voice assistants such as Siri or Alice. Instead of looking for the right site, you can just make a short request and get what you want right away. No need to re-read a long scientific treatise - just watch the five-minute video. A commercial for one of the household appliance stores with Mikhail Galustyan describes the ability of most substances to expand when heated more clearly than any textbook. In order for her daughter to absorb the material, he shows her how a watermelon bursts in a working microwave. This is one of the clearest examples of clip thinking.

All of the above can be useful in solving various problems, it will help to make the implementation of different tasks easier. But there are also disadvantages, which, perhaps, simplify life too much and lead to the inability to act logically.

• Clip thinking is the enemy of classical education. Long texts without illustrations terrify most modern students. One kind of “War and Peace” causes them panic. They are used to getting information quickly and concisely.

• This raises another problem - the inability to analyze. Clip thinking answers only questions that are in the here and now plane. Neither prerequisites nor further consequences fall within the scope of interests of such a way of thinking.

• If 10–20 years ago, changes in schools were needed for the physical unloading of a student, now breaks are needed in order to cope with psychological fatigue. It is difficult for modern children to concentrate on one topic for a long time. They need constant "reboots" and "archiving of the received data."

• The rapid achievement of the goal through social networks leads to the fact that a person does not develop memory. No need to cram Ohm's law - he will “pull out” information from the Internet at any time. It is difficult for him to communicate and clearly state his thoughts in real life, because he has everything “ok” in virtual life.

• Clip thinking takes away individuality from a person. What is “good” and what is “bad” he learns from the posts of stars on their pages. Commercials for him become a guide to action. He slowly becomes like everyone else. He does not have his own opinion - he is replaced by imposed stereotypes from vivid clips with elements of a beautiful life.

• Compassion is not peculiar to a person with clip thinking. Indifference is his hallmark. He simply does not have time to react to what is happening. He needs to know too much, and he simply does not have time to worry about this or that occasion. As a result, when he sees someone lying at the bus stop, he will pass by, deciding for himself that he is simply drunk. The fact that he may have become ill and need to call an ambulance will not even come to his mind. And this is really scary.

Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of the dominance of clip thinking in the head.

It is unlikely to get rid of clip thinking at all in the modern world. Yes, and to fight with him until the complete destruction of the enemy does not make sense. But to direct it in the right direction under the force of every teacher, mom, dad, grandparents. And here we must act together, adhering to the following rules.

• The time spent by the child on the Internet should be strictly limited.. Try to interest him in other activities. Drama club, photo circle - everything is welcome. But better - activity, sports, intellectual hobbies.

• Strictly monitor what resources your child uses on the Internet. Now many companies offer such a service as a ban or restrict access to sites on devices of minors. Protect children from crime news. Keep track of what queries he makes on the Internet. Parental control will help protect against unwanted consequences.

• Instead of computer games such as “shooting games” and “catching up”, install educational games on the phone, computer and tablet aimed at improving memory and logic. But do not make sudden movements. This will cause a child to protest. Organize competitions, the prize of which will be the usual online entertainment. For example, enter as a rule first to cope with the task from a "smart" application, and only then proceed to the entertainment events. Business before pleasure. This old rule is quite suitable when working in modern high-tech conditions.

First of all, surround the baby with care, attention and "right" entertainment from birth. Your house should be filled with books - not electronic, but paper. Read more to your child aloud. Limit your pastime with gadgets yourself. Show the advantage of “live” communication with literature. After reading this or that work, discuss what was remembered, what was pleasant and what was not. Talk to your child as much as possible.

Vaccinate him the habit of expressing your thoughts out loud. Teach him to defend his point of view. Arrange family discussions of the movie you saw or the behavior of the kindergarten girl. It is not necessary to encourage the incorrect pronunciation of words by universal joyful laughter. Correct speech errors.

Learn to express yourself eloquently. Visit nature more often. Show your child what rabbits eat in the zoo or in the village of her grandmother, and not on the tablet screen. Going on vacation, "forget" to connect to the Internet. Visit museums and theaters more often. The child must love lively communication. And then to the question, how are you, he will answer “Everything is fine”, and not just “OK”.

You can find out amazing facts about clip thinking below.