Neil Postman’s Brave New World Revisited: Amazing Ourselves to Death

Lance Strate’s book Amazing Ourselves to Death serves as an updated companion to Neil Postman’s seminal work regarding the influence of media on society. While Postman originally focused on how television turns serious public discourse into entertainment, Strate expands this critique to include the internet, social media, and mobile devices. The sources explain the field of media ecology, suggesting that every new invention fundamentally alters our cultural and intellectual environment rather than simply adding to it. By comparing the dystopian visions of Orwell and Huxley, the text argues that modern society is increasingly controlled by pleasure and distraction rather than overt government force. Ultimately, these excerpts highlight how our constant engagement with technology threatens to trivialize critical areas like politics, religion, and education.