Clive Thompson on the New Literacy reading response #1

Katelyn Gordon

In the article “Clive Thompson on the New Literacy” Thompson tells the readers how professors from Stanford are finding that the technology the younger generations have is actually helping them become better writers. The internet with facebook and twitter, and texting, give more opportunities to write all the time. Yet on the other hand the article also explained the view of Professor John Sutherland from London and how he thinks that the new technology is making the new generations worse at writing.
My own view is that it is helping with writing and becoming better writers. Though I concede that it is a distraction and the ones more involved have the shorthand and the “texting language”, I still maintain that the younger generations have more opportunities to write and express themselves through technology. For example people with facebook can go on and comment on their friends postings and statuses and they can also pose their own things. Although some might object that all of that doesn’t help and it just makes them lazy, I reply that it is really helping them gain a writing style and become aware of how to write to specific audiences. The issue is important because it applies to everyone now days, the technology is everywhere.
Clive also stated that “The Stanford students were almost always less enthusiastic about their in-class writing because it had no audience but the professor: It didn't serve any purpose other than to get them a grade.” So the students were more willing to write something when they had a better audience than just a professor. “What today's young people know is that knowing who you're writing for and why you're writing might be the most crucial factor of all.” Clive concludes.
One implication of Thompson’s treatment of student writing samples is that Lunsford actually went through the time and effort to collect 14,672 different students writing and repot about their data.
Thompson apparently assumes that the technology is a positive influence on the younger generations writing.
I have found that ever since I started using facebook and texting I have become a better writer even if I’m just posting simple things about my day. The fact that I’m actually writing something is better than not writing anything at all. Yes I have gotten lazy and I use all of those short cuts, I know when it is appropriate to use them. I agree with Lunsford in saying that technology is defiantly a helping hand in the younger generations writing. They know how to address specific audiences, they write more often, and they know how to get their point across.