Draft for Extended Essay

Convenience

Jimmy Wales once said, “If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist.” To a point, that is a very true. Today’s society relies on Google for many things such as; the weather, random knowledge, and browsing. It is the most popular web search engine and is growing. Google is a way for people to connect with one another. Along with Google, there is Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. These websites also allows people to connect personally with each other all over the world. They are able to share ideas, pictures, conversations, and laughs through a single click. Where is our generation heading with new technology? Some will argue that our generation is being illiterate. One of their arguments would be that our generation has lost the ability to socially interact with one another. But, I would disagree with them. Our generation may be different, but not all change is bad.

            “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”  George Bernard Shaw couldn’t have said it better. Those who are not open to change will never accept it. This is how I feel about people who are not open to the idea of new technology and today’s advancements. In the article, “Is Google making us stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, Carr tries to bring this question to attention. Is Google making our generation stupid? Carr brings out many valid points in his article. One of them being that Google is convenient. Why would a person want to read textbooks to find a few bits of information for a research paper when you could find it on the internet? Even Carr admits that “I’m just seeking convenience” (Carr 2). Within a few seconds, Google can bring up over a million results on just about any topic. Although it is not the old fashion way, it is the smart way of finding information.

            Although our generation tries to go for the most efficient way of doing things, we are a little bit on the lazy side. One of the most popular ways of getting thoughts out is through blogs. Blogs is a way of free speech. It is an informal way of writing that does not go through an editing process. Anything can be a part of a blog. A blog is longer than a text message, but shorter than a newspaper. In Carr’s article he states, “[A] blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb. I skim it” (Carr 2). People want convenience, but that does not mean that we cannot read a decent sized piece of writing. Sure, whenever I do not want to read something, I skim it. But when I do skim it, I always go back to make sure that I understood what the passage had to say. Convenience does not mean we cannot get away with laziness.

            Andrea Lunsford had a nice take to social media in her article, “Our Semi-literature Youth?” She conducted a study by collecting different pieces of writing throughout a student’s college career. She studied the student’s writing before giving her own opinion on literacy. She does not think that our generation is becoming illiterate, just different. “But rather than leading to a new illiteracy, these activities seemed to help them develop a range or repertoire of writing styles, tones, and formats along with a range of abilities” (Lunsford 1). She believes that the students know when it is the appropriate time to do formal writing and when it is appropriate not to. For example, it would be considered unusual if someone sent an essay sized piece of writing in a text message. Text message are designed for short and sweet communication.

            There are many people who believe that America is becoming illiterate. One of these people is Chris Hedges. In his article “American the Illiterate”, Hedges separates America into two different worlds. The literate section knows what truth it. The illiterate section cannot tell the difference between truth and the lies. He believes that Americans who still use print material are the literate section. There is a transition from print to images. “Many eat at fast food restaurants not only because it is cheap but because they can order from pictures rather than menus. And those who serve them, also semi-literate or illiterate, punch in orders on cash registers whose keys are marked with symbols and pictures”( Hedges 1-2). Hedges has a strong opinion against the illiterate. Although it may be true that we are converted to images, does not mean we are “dumbing down.” It all comes down to convenience.  By looking at pictures, it is a faster than reading a whole menu. Especially when a person is ordering at a fast food restaurant, they expect quick.  Hedges also brings up political issues. He claims that America is becoming illiterate because of candidate speaking levels. Abraham Lincoln spoke around an 11.2 level and Stephen A. Douglas spoke around 12.0 level. Bill Clinton spoke at a 7.6 level and George H.W. Bush spoke at a 6.8 level (Hedges 2). Until 1850, white males who owned property were the only people allowed to vote. These men were well educated and wealthy. In 1850, almost all adult white males could vote. Still, the candidates were very well educated and were still talking to the highest educated white males. These white males had power. Today, an American citizen 18 and older can vote. With an age, population, and gender comparison, there is a huge difference. Candidates today are talking to everyone in the United States. Children in high school and middle school are now tuning into the debates.  Candidates in the past were mostly talking to the highly educated, wealthy property owners, not to children and poor families.

            Let’s talk about some forms of advanced technology. Skype is another useful and extraordinary piece of technology. It allows people from all over the world contact one another in a convenient, cheap fashion. It could be someone down the street, next city, or even another country. Some may argue that Skype takes away social interaction, I would disagree. Skype allows a person to witness things that they normally wouldn’t be able to. A plane ticket is very expensive and may not be possible to travel. Skype allows a person to get a face-to-face interaction as close as they can without actually being there. A person is able to see a new born child, talk to an old friend, or family that they have not seen for a while. Social interaction is still possible with the internet. Before Skype, people tried to use earlier versions of video chat to connect with another. Some of these earlier versions were AIM and MSN. They are chat sites that had webcam ability.  Social media does not take away from an experience, but it can enhance it in.  

            Cell phones have become a competitive market. Although cell phones are fairly new, they have become a necessity for success in the working class world. Without one, a person is unable to keep up with the ever-changing world. Cell phones have changed many styles over the year. They began as a block shaped object, to a flip phone, to a slide phone, back to a block phone. Although they started out as a block phone, the technology has changed drastically.  The original phone would be able to make simple calls. Today, a cell phone is a mini computer. A person is able to connect to the internet, make phone calls, and has applications. Let’s bring this back to our original question, “Is Google making us stupid?” Google is never far away anymore. Google is easily accessed from a device that sits in our pockets. With that much information at your finger tips, would you say that our generation is done with learning? Or are we just smart enough to be able to use our resources? It all comes down to the question of what is knowledge.

Albert Einstein once said, “Information is not knowledge.” By this definition, Google-ing would not be considered a way to gain knowledge. However, I would argue that Google is a door to knowledge. By searching a topic, Google brings up many documents. By reading books online and research documents, a person is able to learn knowledge. But, knowledge is only learned if they invest time in reading the material. Any type of reading material can be a way to knowledge. Knowledge comes from experience and investing time into something. Hedges would agree with that statement. “One America, now the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world” (Hedges 1). Although the print-based material is not on paper, online material is just the same. He just wants the world to be educated the best we can. Not by skimming, like Carr mentioned.  America needs to learn the difference between what actual knowledge is and what it is not.

Social media and new technology has added convenience, efficiency, and enhancement to today’s generation.  Not all change is bad. So far, technology has allowed people to communicate all over the world. We have gone from having pen pals, to emails. We have gone from emails to text messages. Now, we are going from text messages to voice text messages. Where will we be going next? There are endless possibilities.