A number of authors have recently suggested different views on the growth and impact of the new digital era on society. According to Nicholas Carr, the increased use of the internet over time has essentially robbed him of his natural intelligence and has replaced it with a shorter attention span and little ability to contemplate literature the way he once was able to. On the other hand, Clay Shirky views this digital era a little differently. To an extent, he agrees with Carr in that if the internet is put to good use, the pessimists will have a good reason to bash the growth of the internet because it could potentially impede peoples “intellectual attainment.” On the total opposite side of the argument, Jamais Cascio believes that internet growth is an inevitable aspect of technology that will continue to grow and flourish, and those who choose to not keep up will be at a disadvantage because of their own personal decision. Overall, I agree with these three different authors to an extent, but also disagree with them for a number of reasons.
Carr has stated that when a person uses the internet, they will have lose their acquired skills in absorbing information from literature and will not be able to focus. I think Carr is mistaken because he overlooks the effort portion of learning. I think that if a person puts in the time and effort into reading text, they can stay focussed on what they are doing. The ability to concentrate is not a guarantee and is something that needs to be constantly worked on. On a different note, I would have to agree with Cascio because I think that the world is constantly evolving, and in this highly digital era the internet is constantly changing. Cascio insists that we need to adapt to these changes because they are made to assist us and help our digital experience be more beneficial. Regarding Shirky’s statement, I mostly agree but think that the internet can be used for a multitude of reasons and I think that the said “good reasons” that the internet should be used for is up to the writer themselves. Overall, all the authors have reasons backing up their theories, however I believe that in general the growth of the internet is a positive aspect of our technological world.
Elyssa, You've done a good job of showing the conversation and offering your own idea about the efect of one's effort. The only perspective that gets a little lost is Shirkey's; the fourth sentence of paragraph one is confusing. It is important to mention that Shirky is attributing Carr's reaction to the stress of something new.
ReplyDeleteOn a grammatical note, review pronoun agreement. Here is one of the two examples I found here: "Carr has stated that when a person uses the internet, they...." You would use he or she, or change to "people." Can you find the other one?
Throughout the statement, don't overuse the word "different." By distinguishing their arguments, you can clarify the differences.
Lastly, do you see an error with this sentence?:
Overall, all the authors have reasons backing up their theories, however I believe that in general the growth of the internet is a positive aspect of our technological world.
-Cheryl
P.S. Do include sources.
ReplyDelete