Julia
Chun
Professor
Leake
WRIT
1122
04
February 2013
The
Internet: The Creation of a More Diverse Literacy
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 reading and writing skills.
Though it may take away from our attention spans and our handwriting skills, we
are “writing more than ever before” (Lunsford). The technologies that are present today 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.
In our day and age, literacy comes in so
many shapes and sizes. Sylvia Scribner,
an American psychologist and educational researcher, 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 define because technology, reading, and writing are changing and developing
every day. Scribner took on the challenge of
attempting to define literacy. There can be 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 the various facets of
literacy, but there are several other ways to define literacy in our world of
ever-adapting technologies.
Technology has transformed literacy into
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 use writing 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 their own work of art. It
does not need to be edited and revised 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,” blogger Andrew Sullivan writes in The Atlantic, “will inevitably be formed
by the blogger’s personality.” Writing, in all forms, 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 the format in which
I enjoy blogging. I experienced this writing format in several of my English classes
throughout high school. 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, but rather, it mattered that we wrote for
ten minutes nonstop at the beginning of every class. This concept is similar to
the journal or diary concept in Freedom
Writers, in which an English teacher assigns her high school students to
take time to journal each day about anything they wish. The majority of the
students come from backgrounds full of pain and danger. With writing, 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 then
reach the level and ability to read The
Diary of Anne Frank. Many of the students relate to this book, and one
student mentions how the significance of the book. Anne Frank, by simply
writing in a diary, was able to share her story and spread it to so many other
people, even beyond her lifetime. Blogging allows people the freedom to write
and reveal personal thoughts where it can make an impact. Blogging can even log
events and moments in time. Through his blog, Andrew Sullivan was able to
recall his experiences and emotions from September 11, 2001 by looking back at
previous posts. Whatever you post on a blog, it is instantly published for
readers to see. It is immediately shared, and your writing may affect people
beyond yourself. Today, being able to make a difference is a common goal.
The
web has given readers and writers 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 others today, good writing
or effective writing is “writing that ‘made something happen in the world.’”
(Lunsford) Through the internet, each
individual has the opportunity to have their own voice and speak out. Writing
online can speak many volumes. Students are able to share opinions that they
value and have a strong conviction for. People want to have the chance to
trigger a change in the world, to be the start of a movement. People are given
a voice in several different aspects. Individuals can defend a political party
or their independent political opinions. Many activists utilize the web to
gather a larger following base. The internet offers the opportunity of things
going “viral.” Because of all the social media websites, it only takes a single
click to share a blog post, online journal, or article. After speaking out,
there is the opportunity for feedback and interaction.
The internet allows for collaborative
literacy. It offers up the chance to discuss and debate. In addition, the web
gives more chances to rewrite, polish our skills. Joseph Harris explains, “The
real excitement of intellectual writing 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. Stanford
University’s Andrea Lunsford refers to the writing we do today as “life writing” because it is
“collaborative, social, [and] participatory.” In the article,
“Why I Blog”, Andrew Sullivan reveals his purpose for blogging. He revels in
the fact that he can get instant feedback from others on his writing. Sullivan
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. Although the web has been a positive influence in many ways,
there have also been a few negative effects. Beyond collaboration, the web can
hurt our literacy.
The
web has transformed the way we think. In the article, Is Google Making Us Stupid? 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist Nicholas Carr
addresses the issue of the influence of the internet on our brains and
activities. He reveals that the internet “seems to be ...chipping away [his]
capacity for concentration and contemplation.” He explains how his concentration drifts
“after two or three pages.” Carr describes how he gets “fidgety... look[s] for
something else to do.” Studies show that 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 his essay, America the Illiterate, journalist
Chris 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”
(Hedges). I was able to relate to both Carr and Hedges. I was surprised at
the accuracy of the statements and how they applied to my own life. I often
skim while I read and search to find something… anything that will catch my
interest enough to continue reading. Despite my concentration and way in which
I read, I believe that the internet has been very beneficial to our reading and
writing.
The
way we read and write is similar to that in Freedom
Writers, reading to know that we are not alone, and writing to have a
voice. I write for these purposes. I write to examine what
I have read. I write to share my
opinion. I write to give feedback. I write for a catharsis. I write to reveal
my emotions. I write to release. I write to receive advice. I write for
interaction. I can do all of these things through the utilization of the web in
my reading and writing. The
internet and other technologies that exist have influenced the manner in which
we read and write into a more expressive and collaborative style.
WORKS CITED
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us
Stupid?" The Atlantic Aug. 2008. Web. 18 Jan. 2013.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-
stupid/306868/>.
Harris, Joseph. Rewriting: How To Do Things
With Texts. Logan: Utah State
University Press,
2006. Print.
Hedges, Chris. "America the
Illiterate." Truthdig 10 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Jan. 2013.
<http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081110_america_the_illiterate/>.
Lunsford, Andrea A. "Our Semi-literate
Youth? Not So Fast." Stanford
University. Web.
24 Jan.
2013. <http://www.stanford.edu/group/ssw/cgi-bin/materials/OPED_Our_Semi-
Literate_Youth.pdf>.
Scribner, Sylvia. "Literacy in Three
Metaphors." American
Journal of Education 93
(1985): 6-21.
Web. 24
Jan. 2013.
Sullivan, Andrew. "Why I Blog." The Atlantic Nov. 2008. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/why-i-blog/307060/>.
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