Technology Dumbing Who Down?

Technology Dumbing Who Down?

The stereotype that the technology generation cannot write like their elders was challenged by professor Ashley Lunsford and I really appreciated her not only challenging this assumption made by the generation before us but also her effort to acquire the hard evidence to rightly challenge these beliefs. To be honest I'm a little tired of hearing older people complain about our generation, but I liked the point Marcus Berkmann about the older generation always berating the younger throughout history. Just think of the hippie phase of the 70’s and the rock n roll, all neon everything era of the 80’s. Our parents are always going to think youth is wasted on the young but I was really happy to hear that after Lunsford researched adolescent literature she reached the conclusion that not only had the quality if writing been unaffected by new succinct message communication but young adults today are actually writing more than their predecessors. This large rise in written work is due to all of the online socializing that takes place and this isn’t surprising to me at all considering the immense opportunity there is to be published online and have your message received by thousands of people.

Twitter  is an extremely popular outlet for people to messages out to the public in a instantaneous, clever and succinct way. People can spread information about their businesses and promotions and also news agencies can provide links to information and articles. Although Twitter has garnered a negative reputation in terms of presuming that the 140 character limit will affect the user’s ability to be creative and descriptive, the social network actually encourages creativity through the user’s need to be able to get their message across in such a direct and relatable manner.

I think that one of the hugest differences in the technology era is the ability to express oneself online through blogs and personal websites. People can choose to post whatever they like on whatever subject matter they choose and this has created another dimension in online interaction. There are online communities that follow these bloggers and websites to the point of cult status and bloggers are continually becoming a new wave of celebrities who hold a great deal of power. Fashion bloggers sit front row at Paris Fashion Week, food bloggers can make or break restaurants in some cases and tech websites can easily boost or decrease product sales. Companies need to be aware of the power the online community has and respond accordingly because in order to be successful in today’s day and age you need to be up to date with the best ways to acquire a loyal customer following.

I think that it is very evident that the online revolution has not at all hindered adolescent literacy and competency but has actually created more opportunity for self-expression.  And with the continuing growth of online communication opportunities, the ability to post meaningful and competent material will increase as well.