WRIT 1122 - First Draft

Many may argue that the web and modern technologies are making us illiterate and incapable of performing tasks that we were previously able to do.  Although the internet has reshaped and molded our way of thinking into one that is much more open, I do not see the web as a hindrance to our skills in reading and writing. It may take away from our attention spans and our handwriting skills, but we are “writing more than ever before” (Lunsford). In our day and age, literacy comes in so many shapes and sizes. Scribner states that literacy is “a kind of reality that educators should be able to grasp and explain... literacy has an ‘essence.’” The “essence” of it is hard to capture and to define because technologies, reading, and writing are changing  and developing in new ways each and every day.  

Scribner took on the challenge of attempting to define literacy. There are so many aspects of literacy so how do you define it? Scribner defines literacy in three metaphors: “literacy as adaptation, literacy as power,” and “literacy as a state of grace” Literacy as adaptation is “functional literacy” or the idea that people are literate because it is a necessary skill in our daily lives. Literacy as power confronts the idea that there is a “relationship between literacy and group or community advancement.” Literacy as a state of grace or “literacy as salvation” covers the concept that there are special powers and virtues given to those who are literate. Scribner declares that literacy as a whole is “critical for individual and social enhancement.” Scribner addresses various facets of literacy, and there are several other ways to define literacy in our world of ever adapting technologies today.

Literacy is a form of expression. When we write, we create something of our own. We make art. On the web, there are many places where users can write as a creative outlet. One example is seen in the blogosphere. Blogs allow internet users to write in the spur of the moment and create a work of art of their own. It does not need to be edited and re-edited before it is exposed to the world. It can be simply displayed the moment you click ‘POST’ or ‘PUBLISH’ on your blog. Blogs are personal writing. “The atmosphere,” Sullivan writes, “will inevitably be formed by the blogger’s personality.” Writing is the same way. Each person has their own style and mannerisms when writing. Many people use blogs as journals, a free write of what is on their mind. Personally, this is format in which I enjoy blogging. I experienced this writing format in several of my English classes throughout high school. In my writing class during my senior year, my English professor had us sit down for the first ten minutes of class and write. It did not matter what we wrote about or what the format it was in, but rather it mattered that we wrote for ten minutes nonstop  at the beginning of every class. This concept is similar to the journal concept in Freedom Writers. In Freedom Writers, an English teacher assigns her high school students to take time to write each day about anything they want. The majority of the students come from backgrounds full of pain and danger. The students are given a way to talk about the horrific events of their daily lives. They log the hurt and the scars that they have gotten in their short lifetimes. As the knowledge in their English class grows, the students are able to read The Diary of Anne Frank. The students are able to relate to this book, and one student mentions that even though Anne dies in the book, her situation is different from the ones of those lost lives of their friends because she spoke about her experiences, and people are able to read about it. Blogging allows people the freedom to write and reveal personal thoughts where it can make an impact.  Whatever you post on a blog, it is instantly published for readers to see. In this modern day, being able to make a difference is a common goal.

Literacy gives the reader and writer a voice. In a study where students were asked for the purpose of their writing, many “wanted their writing to count for something.” To these students, and, I think, to many today, good writing or effective writing is “writing that ‘made something happen in the world.’” (Lunsford)  In this writing class, I have the ability to write for a purpose. I write to share my opinion. I write to give feedback on what I read. I write to examine what I have read. I write and I read my fellow classmates’ posts. At home, I write for a catharsis. I write to reveal my emotions. I write to release. I write to receive advice. I write for interaction.

Literacy is collaboration. Literacy is rewriting, polishing our skills. “The real excitement of intellectual writing,” Harris explains, is "the chance to engage with and rewrite the work of other thinkers." We do not always need completely original ideas and concepts in our writing. We can take bits and pieces of things we read to make a collage of works that we cut, edit, shape, and mold to make our own. We are able to add our own feedback while connecting to other writers. Lunsford refers to the writing we do today as “life writing” because it is “collaborative, social, [and] participatory.” Sullivan reveals his purpose for blogging. He revels in the fact that he can get instant feedback from others on his writing. He can create or trigger an instant discussion. He can have people agree with him and have people argue with him. Either way, he is able to immediately post something and soon after receive positive or negative comments or feedback on his posts. In this way, much like Harris in Rewriting, suggests, readers can examine the text, "rethink" it, and "reinterpret" it. Harris describes texts as artifacts because they have been “made and designed.” In this way, they can “be shelved, filed, or stored and then retrieved and reexamined” (Harris, 11). Our writing may spur and elicit thoughts that influence other writers around us.

The web has transformed the way we think. Although it has been a positive influence in many ways, there have also been a few negative effects. In the article, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" Carr addresses the issue of the influence of internet on our brains and activities. He reveals that "the Net seems to be ...chipping away [his] capacity for concentration and contemplation." He explains how his "concentration starts to drift after two or three pages. He "get[s] fidgety... [and] begin[s] looking for something else to do." Apparently, the more people use the Web, the more difficult it becomes to stay focused on long pieces of writing. The way we read becomes a "form of skimming activity" because we are '"just seeking convenience." According to Carr, it is not just "a different kind of reading," but it is also a "different kind of thinking."  In the article "America the Illiterate", Hedges contends that in our world, there is "a need for constant stimulus." All of the aspects of our society- the "news, political debate, theater, art and books are judged not on the power of their ideas but on their ability to entertain." We are no longer able to sit and stay still for longer periods of time if we are not interested. We have to be doing something interesting, watching something interesting, listening to something interesting, etc. "The change from a print-based to an image-based society has transformed our nation." I was able to relate to both Carr and Hedges. While reading Carr’s writing, I kept thinking to myself and was surprised at the accuracy of his statements made active in my own life. I identified with the statement on "skimming activity" because I do that often when reading on the web.

The internet and other technologies that exist have given us a more refined and interactive type of literacy. Our civilization has diversified and updated the way we read and write along with the way we live.