Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier
In early 2010, PBS Frontline producer Rachel Dretzin and correspondant Douglas Rushkoff set out to investigate the current state of the digital revolution and its impact on human experience. Digital Nation, the February 2, 2010 airing of Frontline, documents Dretzin and Rushkoff’s investigation. The two follow their questions into universities, elementary schools, corporate headquarters, military training facilities, bedrooms, dining rooms, virtual meeting spaces, and gaming conferences as they seek to understand how the explosion of new media is affecting our lives. The program includes interviews with educators, media experts, and average citizens. You can watch the ninety-minute broadcast on the Digital Nation Website.
Extending the Discussion Online
Launched as a companion to the Frontline broadcast, the Digital Nation Website provides opportunities for in-depth exploration of the subjects addressed in the program.
The site navigation by topic includes
Living Faster – Daily Life in the Age of Non-stop Connections
Relationships – How technology is changing friendship, parenting, and love
Waging War – The changing nature of warfare in the 21st century
Virtual Worlds – The remarkable power of alternate realities
Learning – How to educate children for the digital age
For each of these topics, there are numerous links to rough cut video clips from the program footage as well as extended interview highlights.
Though the discussion section of the site is now closed to comments, viewers can still participate on the Share Your Stories page by writing comments or uploading videos about life in the digital age.
