Marshall McLuhan's Global Carnival Theory describes our generation as the post-literate generation; we are slowly reintegrating into the holistic world, a time when dependence on natural energy sources and animal power meant that local values ​​prevailed over global identity. After the industrial revolution of the 19th century, the world reversed its progress. The loss of local identity and the constant homogenization of culture are visible features of today's increasingly globalized world. McLuhan compares the literacy levels of the Western Hemisphere to the literacy levels of the Third World, describing that our generation is beginning to lose its understanding of literacy as well as its individuality by not reading and writing. I personally agree with McLuhan's theories and believe that our generation is losing the ability to be unique as people are now less likely to think linearly due to the amount of media exposure we are consuming. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay The United States, a superpower and arguably one of the most modernized countries, is one of the most renowned countries in the Western Hemisphere. However, despite leading the world in technological innovation, the United States has one of the lowest scores on reading, math, and science tests in the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The findings demonstrate that the United States has lower than average test scores compared to major countries in the Eastern Hemisphere. Not only are the results of the United States unsatisfactory, but also those of its neighboring country, Canada, which both show a worsening performance compared to previous years. In fact, the countries with the best results according to PISA results are precisely the Eastern countries, demonstrating that the Western hemisphere reads less and less frequently (Chappell, “US Students Slide In Global Ranking On Math, Reading, Science”) . By reading rarely, you are more prone to be influenced by the media, as mentioned by McLuhan. Reading allows you to actively interpret the content and create your own unique simulation of it because everyone's brain works differently. In contrast, viewing the content is a more passive form of consumption as all the senses are already engaged, leaving less room for one's own form of imagination. Technologies such as the telephone and Skype have revolutionized the way we communicate, eliminating physical distance. it will no longer be an obstacle to real-time conversations, thus expanding our social spheres and increasing opportunities for cross-cultural sharing. While unifying the world through technology may seem wonderful, in reality it is quite the opposite. The fact that people from thousands of kilometers away influence each other means that they slowly lose their cultural identity, as well as their individuality. For example, English is now the most spoken language in the world ("The most spoken language in the world"). While this can be beneficial as it loosens the communication barrier between individuals, it can also be detrimental to their cultural background. Learning a new language and culture that is more commonly used in today's society often leads to forgetting one's personal background with little applicability. A prime example in everyday society would be how multicultural and diverse Canada is. While it's wonderful to be able to meet people from different cultures, many of them are second-class Canadiansgeneration. Most of them are no longer able to speak their native language and have adapted to the Canadian way of life, losing their cultural identity in the process. I usually exchange work with my colleagues with the intention of proofreading and making suggestions before finalizing my essays. .One thing I've noticed is that slangs are often a common problem I encounter when editing. People have a tendency to use a casual dialect when sending text messages and other instant messaging services, and as a result, slangs have subconsciously migrated into their English dialect. Our generation has a common goal of being “trendy” and “fitting in,” often leading them to follow traditional trends such as using slang as part of a natural vocabulary. The use of slang is so extensive that even the Oxford Dictionary has added many such terms such as "selfie", "derp", "twerking" and "phablet" to its database ("New words added to Oxforddictionaries.com today" ), demonstrating how common use of anything can become mainstream and influential. With trends so popular in our daily lives, it is becoming a challenge to even be able to think for yourself as an individual. Reading books has been a method that most teachers recommend students use to improve their reading and writing skills. However, with the prevalence of technology in our modern society, our generation has fewer reasons to read books for entertainment. Many of the bestsellers today have been made into films. In a survey I conducted on a group of fifty people, among those who saw the "Harry Potter" series, 91% of them had never read Harry Potter before watching the film and only 9% of people intended to read it. book after seeing the film (“Film versus books”). The responses received show how people today would prefer to be able to watch something rather than read about it. However, the significant difference between reading something and simply watching it is that when you are reading you are granted the ability to freely think and imagine the content. When you visualize something, the visual content is already embedded leaving little to no space for your view of the situation. Later, when respondents were asked why they wouldn't read the book after seeing the movie, most of them responded that they didn't feel the need to read after knowing the story. The fact that people are not at all concerned or even aware of the fact that they are losing the ability to think freely is seriously problematic as it shows how people don't even feel the need to have a right to individuality. The Global Carnival video is an accurate representation of McLuhan's theories because throughout the video the screens constantly provide us with content. Just as the media is constantly part of our daily lives. In a recent study, it was recorded that teenagers spend more than 7.5 hours a day consuming media through TV, cell phones and computers (Ahuja, “Teens Are Spending More Time Consuming Media”). With teenagers investing so much of their free time in "hot" mediums, it becomes extremely difficult to have time to devote to other mediums that stimulate one's identity. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Furthermore, the amount of media produced in the Global Carnival video is heavy to the extent that it masks the interview taking place, comparable to how media is so important in our daily lives that it masks all other thoughts trying to get through. View the.