We live in a world that is dominated by technology, which creates a constant need to adapt to the changes that new tools and innovations present. In Chris Hedges’ article “America the Illiterate”, he explains his growing dismay with technology’s effect on American values and literacy. Hedges says, “The core values of our open society, the ability to think for oneself, to draw independent conclusions, to express dissent when judgment and common sense indicate something is wrong, to be self-critical, to challenge authority, to understand historical facts, to separate truth from lies, to advocate for change and to acknowledge that there are other views, different ways of being, that are morally and socially acceptable, are dying.” Chris Hedges charges technology with triggering a decline in critical thinking, overall knowledge, and even morality. The actual effects on literacy are difficult to determine because the changes occurring are fluid and influenced by many factors yet Hedges presents valid questions as to the true influence our increasing dependency on technology has on how we read and write.
However not all perspectives are as dismal as Hedges’ because technology is also producing positive changes within the world. The growth of technology coincides with the ongoing trend of globalization, the increasing economic, political, and cultural connection across the world. Technology has allowed for our nations to interact in ways that were unprecedented including communications through video, and e-mail across thousands of miles. In fact, anyone with an Internet connection had access to Obama’s State of the Union address through the White House’s YouTube channel which streamed it live. The majority of international flights are booked through the Internet making it a valuable resource for intercultural connection. Sites like Wikipedia and Google allow for people of any background to have access to up to date, accurate information on just about any subject. Technology provides new means of interaction, an unprecedented availability of information, and is transforming the way we read and write but I do not believe it will be detrimental to literacy as a whole in the future.
Technology is contributing to society by adding new forms of literacy through technology including blogging, social networking and even computer literacy. Prominent blogger Andrew Sullivan writes in his essay “Why I Blog” that, “The blogosphere has added a whole new idiom to the act of writing and has introduced an entirely new generation to nonfiction. It has enabled writers to write out loud in ways never seen or understood before.” Sullivan explains that blogging is a more personal form of writing that allows for a direct connection between the author and reader that is unprecedented. This means that criticism moves directly from the reader to the author and commentary is instant. It also means that information is more likely to be accurate because it is up to date and can be easily fact checked. Technology has also created a new sense of the word literacy in regards to computer programs like Word or Excel and social networking sites like StumbleUpon or Tumblr. Each of these examples uses reading and writing academically and for entertainment purposes.
One argument against technology is that it has diminished the importance of personal connection within society. Parents argue that kids spend too much time texting or on YouTube but is social networking really the menace it’s portrayed as? Social networking has multiple facets of utility because it can provide connection between ideas, people, and groups yet it also has the potential to be I think that social networking is actually a conduit through which people interact today that has perhaps caused a shift away from traditional communication. Take Facebook for example, it provides a means through which groups can share information and form connections to those across countries. Despite time potentially wasted by Twitter, Facebook and Skype, social networking also allows for easy organization of social events including propelling important political change forward. In fact, Facebook was essential in organizing the youth of Egypt and the growth of the revolution that eventually saw the transfer of power from President Hosni Mubarak. Wael Ghonim, a major leader in the Egyptian revolution said “I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg one day and thank him [...] I'm talking on behalf of Egypt. [...] This revolution started online. This revolution started on Facebook.” Technology, and especially social networking, may be changing the way that we interact but I believe that it is not diminishing our need for personal connection; it is merely changing the way we see our means of communication.
Wael Ghonim also spoke of technology as an important means of development and stated, “I've always said that if you want to liberate a society just give them the Internet.” Technology can perhaps lead to increased literacy and further development within a country, despite literacy constantly changing, because it allows for a country to grow and increase it’s international standing. Although the Internet can be misused for shady entertainment or procrastination, it also carries an astounding amount of resources and knowledge. Citizens living in developing countries can learn of other means of living through the Internet or keep in contact with family members that relocated. Take for example, the charity organization Invisible Children, that supports ridding Africa of child soldiers and the Lord’s Resistance Army, whose main resource is their website. The organization also implemented satellite phones in order to allow communication between villages as to the movement of the LRA, which prevented further kidnapping and murder. Technology, by playing an important part in developing other countries can actually serve to increase literacy among those who previously had limited resources.
The enormous potential that technology has to improve lives and have real change, is countered by those who wonder if literacy will decline among developed countries that have constant Internet access. Since younger generations are becoming increasingly accustomed to computers, the Internet, and cell phones, educators have speculated as to the potential negative impact that it will have on traditional literacy. Clive Thompson wrote an article that examined these fears and cited Andrea Lunsford, a professor at Stanford, who performed a study on the writing habits of college students. Thompson writes that “The first thing she found is that young people today write far more than any generation before them. That's because so much socializing takes place online, and it almost always involves text.” Lunsford showed that the level of casual or social writing and reading had been overlooked and has actually increased with Internet use and social networking. As for the quality of work that students produce, “When Lunsford examined the work of first-year students, she didn't find a single example of texting speak in an academic paper.” Lunsford proved this myth about the use of common text language, like acronyms such as BRB or LOL, within essays that professors and teachers often use as an example of the detrimental effects of technology, wrong. Thompson also noted at the end of his article that “What today's young people know is that knowing who you're writing for and why you're writing might be the most crucial factor of all,” which speaks to the ever changing nature of literacy as one skill that is essential for one generation may be replaced by another.
The importance of language has not dissipated, it has merely changed and technology now plays a major role in developing how people read and write today. Acquiring some form of literacy is becoming more and more important, as innovations guarantee that our world is connected via Internet, satellite phone or video and social networks. Despite the possible negative effects on literacy that technology could have, like decreased writing proficiency, I believe that modern advances are actually a means for improving our literacy because it calls for adaptation and creativity.
Audience Intro Paragraph
I chose to write my essay to a younger audience and appealed to them by using applicable examples of technology, social networking and interactions with literacy. I chose a younger audience because I think the topic is somewhat persuasive, as to the nature of technology in relation to literacy, and is most relevant to younger generations. I think the example of students using text language in papers and parents thinking their kids are on the computer or their phone too much are situations that most youth can relate to. I also think that the idea of a revolution led by the Egyptian youth through Facebook shows that young generations can have a serious impact on their country and can serve to encourage positive and substantive use of resources at their disposal.
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