Voici la traduction en anglais de votre texte :
English Translation
Zapping Generation, or the Kleenex Generation, which takes and discards, an expression of our way of functioning, or rather, of consuming. The Zapping Generation, therefore, named after that way of watching television which consists of regularly changing channels, with or without searching for a program to settle on. Le Zapping was also the name of a short program that impertinently and humorously editorialized this practice on a pay channel, and which can now be seen on a public channel.
The Practice of Zapping
Aside from that program, zapping is often perceived as a negative practice, a symbol of a generation drowning in so many choices that it can't watch more than a few minutes of a program before checking if there's something better on another channel. An infernal cycle that repeats ad nauseam. I did write "a few minutes," but today that seems like an eternity. Indeed, the zapping generation was not an isolated case; it was a precursor to the next generations and a future we now live with Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat... And if you had trouble finding a program on television, finding a movie or a series to watch on Netflix, Disney+, or other services can prove just as, if not more, arduous and time-consuming.
A Touch of Nuance
A moment of nuance: I know very well that many people still settle down comfortably to watch programs on television, and that others use social media to learn sewing, wood carving, improving their productivity... Similarly, on YouTube or Twitch, there is content that lasts more than ten minutes, sometimes even more than an hour. Not everything is black or white.
Dopamine Addiction
So, back to the subject at hand: this consumption habit has become rooted in us. It has become physical. Our muscles know the movements for achieving this infinite zapping by heart. I've lost count of the times I've taken out my phone intending to check the time, and instead mechanically opened the application to see the latest news. An express shot of satisfied dopamine. It has become an automatic reflex. Sometimes I don't even remember why I took out my phone and put it away without having checked the time. If I talk about news, which I check on the official applications or websites of the different media outlets I follow, and not on social media, it is intentional, because this shortening of time is no longer the exclusive preserve of visual content.
From Yesterday
As a child/pre-teen, when I didn't know a word or was looking for information, I consulted the dictionary or an encyclopedia, I asked an adult, I bought/borrowed magazines or books on the subject: recognizing trees, writing a play, drawing in the manga style... Then the internet arrived with the first family computer. There was the era of Encarta and the first search engines. There was still research time needed to find a piece of information, become aware of a current event, or get to know a subject (I stress get to know, because for many skills, nothing has yet replaced practice).
To Today
Today, everything is quick access, pre-chewed. The first example that comes to mind is that of the RTS, which has a drop-down window at the top of every article titled: "Summary of the article." Honestly, I can't remember the last time I read an entire article on their site/app. Fortunately, Le Monde has not yet adopted this practice, and I make an effort to read the articles that interest me in full. I feel that it requires a greater effort than the one I used to make. Artificial intelligence is also changing the game. From ChatGPT to Gemini, every question finds its answer (more or less accurate and relevant) almost immediately, and this is true for both factual and existential questions. Some answers or learning still require a long time, but it is increasingly difficult to take that time. Patience is being lost. When I write this post, I can't help but instinctively take a quick glance at my phone at regular intervals. An interval that I try to space out more and more. The goal is not quantifiable, but it is there. Just like the self-imposed, regular challenge of taking the Vevey-Lausanne train journey without looking at my phone. It's a small thing, but it's a start.
