C. Peake Reading Response #1

So the other day I was sitting in my English class and we were talking about this article that was talking about how kids writing was affected by today’s technologic outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, texting, and other advanced communication forms. The author of the article Clive Thompson talks about how professors John Sutherland and Andrea Lunsford have opposing theories on the matter. Sutherland suggests that technology making kids writing “bleak, bald, sad shorthand “, while Lunsford believes “we’re in the midst of a literacy revolution” because the surge of new outlets that might be contributing to kids and adults writing more often. Although Thompson does not say so directly, he seemed to have bias towards Lunsford’s view, citing lots of her research throughout the paper. Though technology may increase kids writing rates, maybe the material being written is not of great production or value rather that it is mindless quips and month garbage. I myself have a brother that is in high school and a sister that is in middle school and both of them live and breathe Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, and other such social networks. Now granted they are both writing in great abundance because of all the texting and computer chatting, but what about all the real human interaction that kids miss out on? F

My own view is that I partially agree with Lunsford research that shows increase in writing for kids and adults because of new technologies, but I think there are definite negative aspects of new technologies. I don’t think that eliminating essays and other academic writing because these are still good skills and tools that can be utilized for some. If schools start to incorporate writings that have a greater audience than a single professor that people’s writings might flourish. I agree with the article that along with speech, “texting has dehydrated language”. Although some might object that only positive effects occur from technology, I reply with what about real life? All the time spent on the computer and texting, but what about time talking your family and people around you? When you can’t hide behind your cell phone at an interview, how does one interact? Certainly with more than a standard 12 key cell phone, right? This issue I believe is important because maybe a very valuable point is not taken into consideration by Thompson’s article. He perhaps fails to see that though there are benefits to technology, it may also be desensitizing our youth. Maybe recent overload of technology is making kids less inept to many social interactions or situations and may lack confidence with their own speech?

I have a real hard time organizing all my ideas I feel like. My head always seems to be going a million miles a minute and I have a very hard time organizing and keeping all my ideas in line. Any ideas that might help me?