The New Literacy

Most people assume that kids today can’t write because of their use of social networking. In this topic, it’s about how young people today write more than any generation before them but most socializing takes place online. In his recent work, Clive Thompson suggests that pundits will lament that kids today can’t write-and technology is to blame. Thompson discusses that well written essays have been replaced by social media websites, videos, and PowerPoint presentations, which has caused language to become “bleak, sad shorthand”, i.e., texting. Andrea Lunsford’s, a professor of writing and rhetoric at Standford University, view of this subject is that technology isn’t killing our ability to write. “It’s reviving it and pushing out literacy in bold new direction” as she says. In other words, those who use social networks or cell phones to communicate with their friends and family are able to keep daily socializing separate from business/professional work.
One implication of Thompson’s treatment of writing, is that writing is about persuading and organizing and debating. Although, Thompson does not say so directly, he apparently assumes students today almost always write for an audience. According to Lunsford, the Standford students didn’t show much excitement about their in-class writing because it had no audience besides the professor; in-class writing didn’t serve any reason other than to get them a grade. Lunsford found among first year students, not one example of text speak in any of their academic papers. This generation is accustomed to writing for an audience due to their use of blogs, social websites, and texting. Previous generations did not grow up with the thought that others would read their writings, only their teachers or professors. This is a new way of thinking and writing which is driving literacy among younger people in a way that is exciting and fun to them. Not in a dull, methodical manner that was taught previously.
My own view is that it is fine to socialize through on-line social networks, texting, and chat. Though I concede that technology may at times interference with your writings, I still maintain that we can keep it separate from our professional writing and interactions. For example, if I had to write an essay for class, I wouldn’t use short words, slang, or any of the text writing styles in the essay. Although some might agree that social networks are narcissistic and contain short texts of “hey, this is what I am doing right now”, I disagree. Facebook, for example, allows users to connect and share common causes and beliefs. Social media allows more writing and personal communication than we have seen in past generations. While, texting short-cuts are a an accepted form of writing, I know the difference between professional writing, or communicating, and informal texting. The issue is important because many people may not be aware that younger people are capable of distinguishing the difference between texting speak and writing to express our ideas or thoughts to others.