Convenience
Jimmy
Wales once said, “If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist.” To a point, that is
a very true statement. Today’s society relies on Google for many things such as
the weather, research, and browsing. It is the most popular and growing web
search engine. Google has even become a verb. Google has transformed its image
as just a search engine to many other uses. Google Plus is a way for people to
connect with one another. Along with Google Plus, there is Facebook, Myspace, Twitter,
and Tumblr. These websites also allow people to connect with each other all
over the world. They are able to share ideas, pictures, conversations, and
laughs through a single click. Some will argue that our generation is becoming illiterate.
One of their arguments is that my generation has lost the ability to socially
interact with one another. But, I would disagree with them. Generations communicate
differently. New technology actually has increased the ability to connect and
allowed society to become more sociable. Time has proven that not all change is
bad.
“Those who cannot change their minds
cannot change anything.” George Bernard
Shaw couldn’t have said it better. This is how I feel about people who are not
open to the idea of new technology and the use of today’s
advancements. In the article, “Is Google making us
stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, Carr brings out many valid points in his article
with this question. One of them being that Google is
convenient. Why would a person want to plough through textbooks to find a few bits of information for a research
paper when you could find it quickly and easily 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 most efficient way of finding
information.
Although my 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. Blogging
is a forum for free speech. It is an informal way of writing that does not go
through an editing process and, therefore, represents a true and honest voice. Anything
and anyone 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, I always go back to make
sure that I understood what the passage had to say. Convenience does not mean
we can get away with laziness.
Andrea Lunsford had a nice take on
social media in her article, “Our Semi-literate Youth? Not So Fast”. She conducted a study by
collecting different pieces of writing throughout a student’s college career. Lunsford
does not think that our generation is becoming illiterate. Activities such as
blogging and texting, “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 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 individuals is Chris Hedges.
In his article “America the Illiterate”, Hedges separates America into two
different worlds. The literate section knows what truth is.
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. Hedges observes the change from a print to an
image based society. One example of this transition is fast food restaurants. “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 have converted to images, it does not mean we are “dumbing down.” It all comes down
to speed, convenience, and accuracy. By looking at pictures, it is faster than
reading a whole menu. Customers expect quick service, especially when
ordering at a fast food restaurant. Hedges also brings up political debates. One of his claims is that America is becoming illiterate due
to progressively decreasing candidate speaking
levels. During the Lincoln-Douglas debate, 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 directed their debate toward the highest educated white males ("Infoplease").These white males
had power. Today, an American citizen 18 and older can vote. When considering
the widespread criteria of age, population, and
gender, there is a huge difference. Candidates 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
talking to the highly educated, wealthy property owners. They were not giving
their attention to children and poor families, hence the strategic
reduction in speaking levels.
Let’s shift our view to some forms
of advanced technology. Skype is another useful and extraordinary
piece of technology. It allows people from all over the world to visually contact one another in a
convenient, cheap fashion. It could be someone down the street, the next city,
or even another country. Some may argue that Skype takes away social
interaction, I would disagree. Skype allows a person to witness events
from which they would normally be excluded.
Plane tickets and car fuel are very expensive
and it may not be possible to travel. Skype allows a person to have a face-to-face interaction without actually being physically
present. Anyone is able to see a newborn child, talk
to family, or an old friend 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 had chat
sites that had webcam ability. The texting style of writing originated from
chat sites. Social media does not take
away from an experience, but it can enhance it.
Cell phones are a competitive
market. Although cell phones are fairly new, they have become a necessity for
success in the working world. Without one, a person is unable to keep up with
the ever-changing world and its demands. Cell phones have changed in styles
over the years. They began as a bulky block shaped object, to a sleeker flip
phone, to a slide phone, back to a compact block phone. Although they evolved from
and back to a block phone, the technology has changed drastically. The original phone made simple calls. Today,
a cell phone is a mini computer. A cell phone is able to connect to the
internet, make phone calls, and has use of an array of 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 our finger tips, would you say that my
generation is done with learning? Or are we just adaptable enough to be able to
use our resources? It all comes down to the question of what is considered 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 researching a topic, Google brings
up many documents. By reading books online and research documents, a person is
able to attain knowledge. But, knowledge is only gained if sufficient time is invested in
reading, digesting, and arriving at conclusions from the material available.
Any type of reading material can be an avenue to knowledge. Knowledge comes
from experience and investing time into the action. Hedges would agree with
this 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 to the best level possible.
Not by skimming, like Carr mentioned.
America needs to learn the difference between what actual knowledge is
and what it is not and identify when we see it.
Social
media and new technology have added convenience, efficiency, and visual 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 and from emails to text messages.. Where will we be going
next? The possibilities are endless.
Works Cited
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us
Stupid?."Alantic. (2008): n. page. Web. 4 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/>.
Hedges, Chris. "America the
Illiterate." Truthdig.
(2008): n. page. Web. 4 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081110_america_the_illiterate/>.
Lunsford, Andrea. "Our Semi-literate Youth? Not So
Fast." Standford. n.
page. Web. 4 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.stanford.edu/group/ssw/cgi-bin/materials/OPED_Our_Semi-Literate_Youth.pdf>.
"U.S. Voting Rights." Infoplease. Pearson Education,
n.d. Web. 4 Feb 2013. <http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html>.
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