Recently I read ‘Feed’, by M.T Anderson, a dystopian novel about how advancement in technology is negatively affecting our society and the way we communicate with each other. The author led me to believe that these advancements, such as texting, are causing our language to deteriorate. Further research proves that texting may be improving and many are learning to accept. When the era of the written word dies, will we be left with an illiterate generation with poor grammar? Students are texting constantly. In and out of class, it is becoming a bigger and bigger part of their lives. Some might say that we are creating a less literate generation, but research shows that texting improves student literacy for three reasons. First, texting improves …show more content…
We carry our cellphones with us at all times, and with all this online connection, you would think that stepping back and disconnecting is a huge achievement. But this is a new way of life. Nathan Jurgenson, in his article “The IRL Fetish” says, “We have come to understand more and more of our lives through the logic of digital connection. Social media is more than something we log onto; it’s something we carry within us. We can’t log off.”. He explains how we are so deeply connected with technology that it is nearly impossible to stay ‘old-fashioned’. We are learning to accept technological advancements because they are inevitable. In other words, to adapt to this new form of literacy is much easier than avoiding it. In recognition that texting truly is literacy, one English teacher had her students put excerpts of Richard III into “text speak” to show that they fully understand the material. Educators are embracing texting as a new form of learning because it clearly is not going away. Students enjoy texting as a way to escape reality and fail to recognize the literary benefits. Texting will continue to encourage students to read and write as well as improve spelling with phonological
In Michaela Cullington’s essay titled, “Does Texting Affect Writing?” the author tests the ongoing question of how today’s youth handles the effects of texting in the education system. Using successful evidence from both sides of the argument as well as participating in her own experiment, Cullington is able to fully demonstrate how texting does not interfere with today’s students and their abilities to write formally in the classroom.
In Feed, M.T. Anderson, satirize social media advertising as a loss of individualism among society. In the scene, for instance, where they say Coca-Cola a certain amount of times to get a free six-pack after saying coke continuously Titus and his friends ended up going to buy a coca-cola. Anderson scribes both the positive and negative consequences to social media advertising of the novel to encourage modern/ young people to “resist the Feed,” to encourage them to use technology as a tool to improve situations.
Although her study supports the hypothesis that texting and writing have no relationship to one another, Cullington (and the researchers whose work she analyzed) recognizes the significance of new technology and society’s evolving modes of communication. She writes, “The use of text mes- saging as a common means of communication is becoming increasingly popular; therefore, this issue should continue to be examined” (94). Not surprisingly, the popularity of texting has increased since the time of Cullington’s article and so too has research on its effect on student writ- ing. What Cullington may not have anticipated, however, are the ways in which texting itself has changed. How might innovations such as Internet access, various “apps,” and software advance- ments have changed texting in the mere two years since Michaela Cullington published her article in 2011?
Ever since the integration of technology and social media, we have changed as a society in how we interact, make conversation, and go about our daily lives. In the novel Feed, by M.T Anderson, the possible consequences of our dependence on technology and social media are highlighted through experiences between several teenagers in the future. They all live in a world that is the equivalent of a hyped up social media, which has taken over the way we interact with people. It becomes evident that M.T Anderson does not view our generation with applause, rather with disdain and pessimism for what we are doing to affect our future generations socially, politically, and economically. From the beginning of the novel, the reader
We as a society are evolving with each generation to come. We are getting stronger, faster, and smarter. Just as cell phones are no longer square blocks with numbers on them and TV’s are not in black and white, writing itself has also evolved. Once upon a time many wrote and spoke in a Shakespearean form of language and over the years it has evolved into something we call modern English. In recent years, technology has advanced greatly and cell phones have become one of our primary use of communication. With cell phones came a new form of writing called text messaging. Text messaging is used to send short, concise messages to anyone around the world. Often times text messages involve the use of abbreviations which stand for different things and also involves frequent use of emoji’s as a form of expression. This form of writing is now considered informal writing and is not acceptable in academic settings. In Michaela Cullington’s essay “Does Texting Affect Writing?” she touches on both sides of whether texting is hindering students writing or if it’s actually having a positive effect. She then makes is clear that she believes most students are educated enough to know when text speak is appropriate and when it’s not so therefore it has no effect on students. Although, I agree with her thesis, she lacks credibility due to her insufficient evidence. In addition, I also believe
Technology has played an influential role in the growing society of today. It has been the technological mother-nature to the brain, as people seek guidance from its false intelligence. In the novel Feed, written by M.T. Anderson, the main focus is on the effect that technology has on a society as a whole. With technology, such as the feed, it can be beneficial when used correctly. It can help a person come up with just the “right” words when they’re stuck on a paper, or even when they are having a conversation with another individual. Technology is a good resource in most cases; however, it is not truly a benefit when overused. It turns into an addiction, and people begin to rely on it too much. Technology that is similar to the feed should be removed, because
Not So Fast,” Andrea Lunsford argues that rather than leading to a new illiteracy, the digital technologies in the modern world help students to develop their ability of writing. Not only that students are daferrors than 25 years ago, actually with less spelling errors. In order to help students with the challenges, the teacher should offer solid instructions and encouragement rather than derision.
People claim that new developments have caused kids to be so dependent on their devices, that they can't think for themselves. This claim can also be turned around by saying that technology has given kids more opportunities and chances to learn, and in particular, more opportunities to write (Source 7, Clive Thompson). An example of this is a study done at Stanford University, where it was discovered that Stanford students did a stunning 38 percent of their writing outside of the classroom (Source 7, Clive Thompson). With the developments of E-mail, texting, and social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, younger people are constantly writing in their every day lives. In the past, people would, for the most part, stop writing once the finishes their education. Now however, people are more comfortable, and more used to, writing. And while the argument that technology has decreased level of the vocabulary and vernacular of young people is true in some cases, the increase in writing shown by young people has led to a greater ability to convey information to other people, and a greater comfort in talking to people they don't know (Source 7, Clive Thompson). As Andrea Lunsford says, "I think we're in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven't seen since Greek Civilization" (Source 7, Clive
This generation has experienced significant advancement in the technological world. It is a platform of which communication has become more efficient, specifically through text messaging. As technology and efficiency have advanced, so have the language ideologies surrounding them. Adult speakers of the English language have formed the ideology that text messaging are ruining the language. Texting and instant messaging are not directly influencing literacy, in fact, they introduce a new kind of literacy. From Variation to Heteroglossia in the Study of Computer-Mediated Discourse by Jannis Androutsopoulos, Always On : Language in an Online and Mobile World by Naomi S. Baron, From Statistical Panic to Moral Panic: The Metadiscursive Construction and Popular Exaggeration of New Media Language in the Print Media by Crispin Thurlow, Undergraduates ' Text Messaging Language And Literacy Skills by Abbie Grace, The Effects Of Text Messaging And Instant Messaging On Literacy by Lieke Verheijen, and Beverly Plester, Nengah Kemp, and Clare Woods’, Text Messaging and Literacy – The Evidence all make clear that this is a prevalent language ideology used to control the discourse of the English language.
People lend themselves to thinking that texting is killing serious literacy. "The fact of the matter is that it just isn't true" (McWhorter 1) in his video, "Texting is Killing Language. JK!!!". The speaker explains thqt language had evolved from basic speech to writer text over thousands of years. He notes that while it is beautiful, nobody speaks how we write in formal literature it is boring and nobody has time for it in today's society. This however was the case in the time of Abraham Lincoln and even when it was common practice was hard to listen to. The progression of technology has given us the ability to write faster with the type writer, electric type writers, and cimputers provided you have someone able to process the information
Have always wondered if text messages have been dumbing us down or making us smarter in way? In today’s society who has an answer for this type of question. In the article, I h8 txt msgs: How texting is wrecking our language, by John Humphrys, talks about how text messaging are a danger to people's English language ; especially in the younger generation. John Humphry’s takes a unique perspective when analyzing the practice of text messaging. He focuses on the todays teenagers as an example of the uses of text messaging. The other article by David Crystal’s, 2b or Not 2b discusses the many implications of new texting technologies throughout his article. Crystal Focuses on the three major topics in his article which are texting languages, the
Technology has transformed the way people produce, disseminate, and receive information. As the authors explain, the new technology also challenges our definition of what it means to be literate. Whereas text was once available only as a print medium, the concept of text has evolved to include the Internet, film and television. Children who
Thesis statement: In this paper, I will discuss how the frequent use of text messaging by teens today negatively affects literacy and I will offer suggestions that parents and teachers can implement and teach in order to raise reading, writing, and vocabulary skills.
Technology is quickly becoming a huge part of day to day life for nearly everyone. If you walk around most places, you will see a large percent of people either on their cell phones, on their computers, or using some other electronic device. While some of it is being used for business and other important things, most of the time, it is more for entertainment. It is because of this that people claim that technology is changing the way people think today. In his article “Is Google making us stupid”, Nicholas Carr argues that people have become dependent upon the internet for information rather than having to work to figure it out. In the article “Does texting effect writing”, Michaela Cullington argues that people’s texting is effecting the way people write because people don’t show emotion when texting, so that is translating back into their writing. Both arguments are effective, both appeal to emotion, but the more effective argument is Carr’s because it is a more sound argument based on logic and credibility.
Thesis: While it has been commonly assumed that texting has had a significant negative impact on student’s literacy rates, others argue and support the use of texting as it has imprinted a positive impact depending on the situation.