We Only Fear The Reflection: Citizenship Analysis

Journalist, Clive Thompson in his book, “Smarter Than You Think”, specifically in the chapter titled, “Public Thinking”, published on September 12, 2013, addresses the topic of technology and argues that because of the internet, we are doing more writing now than ever. Therefore technology is helping us think publicly in new and improved ways. He supports this claim by asserting that there is an improvement in our writing, which is happening because of the “audience effect”, he then goes on to say that anything we write changes the way we think, and finally he talks about how the internet builds connections, which is essential to the spread of new ideas. Thompson’s purpose is to inform readers about how the internet is a tool being used to advance our society in order to encourage more people to partake in online, public thinking. He adopts a contemplative tone for his audience, the readers of The New York Times, and others interested in the topic of technology. It is my intention in this paper to analyze the author’s subclaims and use of rhetorical strategies.

Carr writes articles and books on technology, business, and culture, and has written for the Guardian, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He is a well established writer and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2011. Carr wrote this article because he found himself having a hard time focusing on any type of deep reading, something that he feels is very important to having a well rounded mind. He emphasizes that because the internet is structured to be a massive amount of information read one small piece at a time, our minds are starting to reflect that. He is writing for an intellectual audience who are probably for the most part highly educated. His audience would be those who can see the importance of the way that we consume information, and how our brains use that information. His writing in this article does a very good job of reaching that audience thanks to his obvious knowledge on the subject, and how he relates to his

Technology allows for millions of people from all over the world to express and share their ideas. Baron says this best when he states, “Digital technology has brought us a cyber world of writers without borders” (Baron 229), and the awe inspiring thing about this is, every second of every minute, people are actually publishing, sharing, and chatting online; new information is being put into this world everyday. The subject matter of this information “ranges from the dreary, unexpurgated minutiae of a single blogger’s life – reality TV with the boring parts left in – to tightly-focused political and commercial campaigns” (Barons 223). There are no limits to what someone can find and there is always something new to see and hear because of technology. This allows people to actually have an outlet to express themselves like they never have before. Anyone can say and share what they want and as a result they might find people that agree with them or people who don't and learn from them. People can even share what they think without being deemed socially inappropriate. Gasser touches on this idea when he says, “Digital technology gives everyone the means to express themselves, and it empowers them to speak—and to be

Technology has made a huge difference in the world since history, and it has been a reason why people are more social. In the old times since the 1960’s to the 1980’s many people didn't knew where many things came from or they didn't knew how it was made or know anything about technology. Until, in the year 1440 printing press came as a form of technology to people that allowed them to write news on newspapers and inform the people many things about what was going on in the world and how many things were created.

According to Brian Williams, news anchor for NBC Nightly News and author of “Enough About You,” Americans have become oblivious to events and news going on that they aren’t particularly interested in, and social media only adds fuel to the fire. Even though the news is still concurrently viewed by millions of people, it’s nothing like it used to be. Regardless of the decline in viewers, Williams states that “we work every bit as hard as our television-news forebears did at gathering, writing and presenting the days news to a smaller audience” (473). Social media is integral part of everyday life that will not vanish for quite some time. While social media has its upsides, I feel that the downfalls are far

Digital citizenship is important because it gives the citizens an access to be involved and still carry on with their daily lives. Kathie Kanavel (2014) states, “Digital citizenship is really important for 21st century skills,

A very vexing topic of discussion indeed when it comes to the census and its racial undertones.

The article, “Digital Literacy Is the Key to the Future, But We Still Don’t Know What It Means,” is written by Marcus Wohlsen. He writes his article, to explain to the public what digital literacy is. Wohlsen knows that the increasing there is an increasing usage of technology in the public life, and to adapt to this they are going to need to be literate is using it. In his article, he explains to the public what this literacy is, and how much one needs to be literate in technology. Wohlsen effectively uses multiple viewpoints of experts and relatability to engage the reader and explain to them what digital literacy is all about.

To reiterate, the best way to improve media in the United States of America is to provide media education to the youth for improved media literacy, but not everyone agrees with this. One criticism is that parents of younger children may want to keep them away from certain forms of media at a young age. This criticism is understandable because some forms of modern media such as social networking sites can be seen as corrosive to the mind. However, it is said by Hadewijch Vanwynsberghe and Pieter Verdegem in their article “Integrating Social Media in Education” that “many scholars and especially policymakers were convinced that the problem of inequalities in digital literacy could be simply solved by giving youth access to a personal computer

The U.S. Senate recently passed a bill requiring high school students to pass a citizenship test in order to graduate and I think the test is unnecessary. Although the test only requires an thirty-five out of fifty questions (80%) to pass, it still causes stress among students. The test adds to the burden of the other various tests students are already required to take. The citizenship test is new and is not a part of the curriculum, so teachers typically don't spend a lot of time discussing and educating their students about it. If the students feel unprepared their stress level is likely to increase which could in turn affect their other school work. Yes, it is important that the people living in this country are educated and understand how

An equally important skill for being a good digital citizen is, without a doubt, being digitally literate; this literacy allows a person to find and comprehend information found on any media platform. Moreover, patience is once again central to being a socially aware citizen. When a person is able to understand and interpret the information found online, they are able to contribute to conversations and apply the knowledge they gain. Finding information; however, can prove to be difficult, and patience helps develop research skills. In “The Benefits of Being a Patient Person” by Kira M. Newman, it is written that, “Patient people of all stripes reported exerting more effort toward their goals than other people did.” If a person needs to gather

Digital literacy has been an ever steady presence in today’s society. It is time to bring digital literacy into mainstream America. It is no longer acceptable to wave aside the need for computer literacy; people more than ever need the ability to access information that can benefit them in an array of ways. In order for adults to have the ability to obtain valuable resources and services that they might be able to access, engage in critical thought involving everyday issues such as shopping, health, leisure activities and most important, work. With so many ways to communicate, adults are constantly connected through home and work. Digital consumerism is on the rise, and adults are inundated with an array of technologies devices available, anything and everything adults may need or want is at their fingertips. In the information age, relevant information for their lives needs to be allocated to various forms of communication preventing most individuals from accessing messages pertaining to their needs and essential services. Today, it is not enough to just consume information, it is essential that people must create and share information. Having the ability to be digitally savvy, it is essential to fulfill these necessities.

In today’s world it is a requirement to be digitally literate in order to be able to function in a capacity that enables one to be more successful whether it is at home, school, at our jobs or even looking for a job. Over the last few decades our environment has evolved into a digital environment. Being or becoming digitally literate is essential in being successful in this digital environment. Almost everything we do today requires some sort of digital knowledge or literacy. From surfing the internet to searching for a job to being able to perform our jobs, we are required to have some sort of digital

The ability to use information in an effective manner in required time is called information literacy. It is not only a limited only in library but also needed to achieve other purpose like educational purpose personal and professional purpose. In education, it helps to develop analytical and critical skills on student which helps them to be independent, dynamic and creative. They research themselves about the problems and do not rely on teachers to solve their problem. In another side the ability of critical thinking developed by informative literacy enables workers to find current and relevant information being more efficient and effective. And in our daily life people have to analyze information before using it. For example before buying any substance we must have to see it’s expiring date, contents used in it and then we have to decide whether we have to use or not. So, information is vital role in human life and it has dispersed through various ways and it is technology which plays a significant role in information sharing. To a small corner of the rooms, hospital to large robotics and satellite there is use of technology for analyzing and problem solving. Further with the rapid growth of information and technology, huge part of this generation is growing up in a digital world of information and technology. Different digital devices like laptop, mobile and different gadgets and Google has completely changed the perception of

Living through the era dominated by social media and internet sources has come with a variety of different encounters that those born even twenty years earlier would not be able to understand. When a question is asked that one might not know the answer to, they simply state “Just google it”, but in previous times many people would have to spend hours seeking the answer they so desire. One of the biggest issues surrounding google is the deprivation of thinkers in the new generation. Google, although a helpful tool, has taken the thought out of life and replaced it with answers at the touch of a keyboard. The cultural impacts surrounding internet technology has perpetually grown to the point of hindrance. Despite the profound expertise Danah Boyd and Marc Prensky present through years of experience relating to social media, the most effective author in creating an argument was Nicholas Carr due to the relatability of the article to his targeted audience.