Emily King Stephen McElroy ENC 3416 17 Oct. 2011
Week 8 SRR When I was fifteen years old, my friends and I started to communicate through Myspace. Our parents were wary about it because it started to suck up our time, but they let us go through with it. About a week ago, I received a Facebook friend request from my seven‐year‐old cousin. I was absolutely appalled. I do not think our young generations will be able to relate to older generations even more so than usual because technology is accelerating so rapidly. In “The Twitter Trap,” Bill Keller’s comments on memory actually scare me. When I meet people, I ask them what their name is, they tell me their name, and I am unable to repeat it back to them two minutes later. According to Keller, until the 15th century, people’s memories were so well trained that some were able to recite entire books. I have trouble memorizing a two‐minute speech. The advancement of technology is helpful, but it has become a replacement for learning when it should be just an aid. When I watch a movie or read a book and come across a word I have never heard before, I look it up on Google with my iPhone. When I get the definition, that book or movie makes more sense to me and I feel like I have learned something. Unfortunately, chances are that I will forget it very shortly afterward. I have found myself looking up the same words over and over again. Our shrinking memories force me to question: if we continue to rely on technology as our memory, will it ever be possible for us to use our brains to our full potential? As for our shrinking attention spans, here is a real life personal example: I’m writing an SRR with Facebook, Twitter, Outlook email, New York Times, and Blackboard tabs open. This has become the norm for me, as well as the average college student. I have clicked away from this Word document out of boredom to see whether anything profound has happened at least ten times and I barely even realize I am doing it until I have read my entire Twitter newsfeed. When school and extracurricular activities require extra amounts of time, I deactivate Facebook because I know that I will squander ridiculous amounts of time on it. The Internet has become a worldwide addiction. It has unquestionably enhanced many aspects of our lives, but I am worried about the work ethic and attention spans of future generations who are starting to use it at such a young age. The quote, “The generation that had information, but no context. Butter, but no bread. Craving, but no longing” best summarizes Keller’s article. It makes us sound so empty and dull, but its truth is undeniable. I feel like my generation does not need to learn how to do anything other than use Google and keep up with the newest Apple technology. Keller mentions that typing has killed penmanship, which makes me realize that I could easily get by through college without writing a single word on a sheet of paper. I could use my MacBook to record lectures, the provided teacher PowerPoints to study, and submit my papers on BlackBoard. This makes me wonder whether I am actually receiving a complete education. My education is supposed to prepare me for the real world. I am afraid that the education I am receiving is not well‐rounded because the world we live in is not well‐ rounded.