...the under-thirty generation really the dumbest generation? This question is debated among numerous of sources such as Mark Bauerlein’s The Dumbest Generation and Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The criteria for intelligence is considerably large, but sources’ arguments mostly align by the idea of common knowledge, necessary life skills, and literacy as the main criteria. To an extent, the claim of the under-thirty generation being the dumbest is true with the inadequacy in some life skills and common knowledge, but it is wrong due to the general rise in literacy and intelligence quotient among the under-thirty generation. According to the older generations, the under-thirty generation lacks to the necessary common knowledge...
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...In the book , The Dumbest Generation, Mark Bauerlein(source1)explains his bias point of view on some alarming trends amongst America’s youth and young adults. He cites numerous statistics that reveal an escalated number of young Americans that are dropping out of high school and college. Literacy rates are falling each year, and importance on traditional knowledge and values is rapidly decreasing. He also claims that today’s youth has changed in how they use their time, and their priorities differ greatly from past generations. In addition to these changes, Bauerlein offers some possible explanations as to why young Americans have changed ,but not everybody thinks the same some people would say we are one of the generations with most benefits...
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...According to Mark Bauerlein, an English professor and researcher at Emory University, this generation is the dumbest one yet. I somewhat agree with his idea because he has very valid points. Originally, I thought Mr. Bauerlein was wrong, and just being rude,. bBut the more I thought about it, I realized if we aren’t the dumbest generation, what generation is? This generation, despite all of the technology we have at our fingertips, is the laziest. Bauerlein says that an 18-year-old today would have a credit card, bank account, cell phone, and a dozen other things that would almost lead you to believe they really knew what they’re doing, but in reality, if you were to ask them general questions, they wouldn’t be able to answer them. He says...
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...his introduction to his critically acclaimed book The Dumbest Generation: How The Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans And Jeopardizes Our Future, the author presents and argument on the idea of the intellectual condition of the youth of today and how they are not up to standard and underdeveloped considering all the technological advances that are available to them. While Mark Bauerlein uses a multitude of data that he has collected along with general knowledge he obtained as a professor to support his main claim against the educational development of todays youth, his personal biases and selective use of evidence cause his...
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...easy access to the internet. The only reason in which these kids now have access to this abundance of technology is because the previous generation which invented this easy to use technology. This generation does lack the amount of knowledge not because they are dumb but because they were allowed so much access to technology because of the previous generations,...
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...todays world lacked most of these ‘modern day necessities’ growing up. The complete and utter difference in lifestyles has ultimately led to a rewiring of the human brain. Children of the modern world are fully adjusted to modern technology and digital media from a very early age whereas the older generation need more time to adapt to the often complicated new technology. "We see marked differences in behaviour within countries – with a clear divide between younger and older groups. Younger people are more likely to use social media and aggregator brands and in all countries they show a strong preference for online." (Newman, Nic, NN, (2013), 'Digital News Report 2013', Uneven Pace of Change - Differences between and within Countries) There are of course many advantages of the new digital society in which we live. The internet can be used as a tool to connect with people all over the world, business conferences can be held via the internet in real time saving time and money for thousands of businesses. These are just a small percentage of the advantages new digital media brings. However, Many problems have arisen from the advancements in technology, especially for the older generation – some of which can be left feeling isolated and cut off from the rest of the modern and fast moving new world. Sociologists such as Emile Durkheim have studied the effects of isolation or ‘anomie’ on...
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...The Decline of American Culture In recent years, American culture has degenerated due to the misuse and overuse of recent advancements in technology. Mindless media, to which younger audiences are now immersed, is as prevalent as ever. The accessibility of information has changed the way Americans think and approach questions. Social interactions have been becoming less social. This essay will discuss these significant changes in American culture. These changes are steering America towards the wrong direction by promoting general laziness and disinterest of the real world. Entertainment is a multi-billion dollar industry that is still growing rapidly and becoming an even larger, detrimental aspect of American life. One key element of this industry is gaming. Many consider video games to be a complete waste of time while others recognize intellectual gain of them, however the truth is somewhere in between the two ideas. Steven Johnson argues in his novel, Everything Bad is Good for You, “All the intellectual benefits of gaming derive from [making decisions], because learning how to think is ultimately about learning how to make the right decisions.” This argument is valid and accurate, although a little exaggerated, but is misleading due to the fact that, according to his argument, only decision-making yields intellectual benefit. Therefore, only games that require decision-making are beneficial. This now limits Johnson’s argument since the majority of video games being played...
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...Experiment: With the assistance of my fiancé, and the online application titled Hooked, I will monitor the amount of time that I spend daily using technology. I also plan to interview friends and family members to obtain comparative information to be utilized in the results. My ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of time on my phone while in the presence of others and to increase the amount of undistracted quality time with them. References Bauerlein, M. (2008). How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Don't Trust Anyone Under 30). In The Dumbest Generation. New York, NY: P. Tarcher/Penguin. The focus of this is on the "dumbest" generation ever. The author blames the "dumbness" of the generation on all the technology that is available in society. Bauerlein (2008) does a good job of describing how technology has driven changes in the intelligence of different generations as well as looking at how technology has really affected the brain throughout the years. For example, modern technologies are very powerful. They rely on the most powerful genetic biases we have – the preference for visually presented information. The human brain has a tremendous bias for visually presented information. Television, movies, videos, and most computer programs are very visually oriented and therefore attract and maintain the attention of young children. The problem with this is that many modern technologies are very passive. Because of this, they do not...
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...Digital Media: A Better Way to Learn Educators and parents have legitimate concerns about the effects of the Digital Age on learning. Digital media has changed dramatically since the development of the Internet and improvement of wireless technology. John Palfrey, Professor of Law and Urs Gasser, Executive Director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, both employed by the prestigious Harvard Law School, have written about how the world has been reshaped because of this new digital world in Born Digital. They found that this period “is the most rapid period of technological transformation ever, at least, when it comes to information” (3). This transformation of digital media over the last twenty-five years and the introduction of tools like the iPad create a clutter of information that threaten the ability to think deeply and concentrate, which has made the current educational system obsolete and ineffective. This same technology can be utilized to create the school of the future, by improving learning in the Digital Age. Digital natives, ”born after 1980,” do not know the world without the Internet, cell phones, computers, tablets and everything else that networked digital technology has provided (Palfrey 1). They “study, work, write and interact with each other in ways that are very different from the ways” their parents and grandparents grew up. (Palfrey 2). Palfrey and Gasser found that digital natives are comfortable with this new technology and experts...
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...technology and how we use it. Write a paper (700-1000 words) in which you answer the following questions. Answer the questions separately. 1. Give an outline of the use of information and communication technology as it is presented in texts 1 and 2. 2. What is Stuart Jeffries' attitude to mobile phones and e-mail in text 3, and how does he express it? Illustrate your answer with examples from the text. 3. On the basis of the review of Mark Bauerlein's book The Dumbest Generation (text 4), discuss some appropriate ways of using the Internet. Texts 1. Matt Richtel, "Don't Want to Talk About It? Order a Missed Call", an article from The New York Times website, 2008. 2. Andrew Keen, "Sex, Lies and the Internet", an excerpt from his book The Cult of the Amateur. How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy, 2007. 3. Stuart Jeffries, "Technophobia - the sign of a born leader?", a comment from The Guardian website, 2008. 4. Lee Drutman, "Review of Mark Bauerlein's book The Dumbest Generation", a review from Los Angeles Times website, 2008. B Write an essay (700-1000 words) in which you analyse and interpret Jo Cannon's short story "Insignificant Gestures". Your essay must include the following points: - a characterization of the narrator the relationship between the narrator and Celia the narrator's error of judgment the significance of time and place Text Jo Cannon, "Insignificant Gestures", a short story, 2007. Side 2 af 12...
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...Communications 1) Give an outline of the use of inspiration and communication technology, as it is present in texts 1 and 2. Alexis Gorman wanted to tell a man that she had been dating the courtship that is was over, but she could not do it over text message because it was too impersonal, but she could neither call him, because she worried about an awkward conversation or a confrontation. So she broke it off in a voice mail message. Ms. Gorman means, that using Slydial to break off her relationship allowed her to communicate effectively without potential anxiety. It is not the best way to say, that you do not want to see someone again, but the positive side is, that you avoid an awkward conversation. Technologies like e-mailing and blogging give the communicator the power to chose the time and manner of expression. We are addicted to the technologies, and it fills much in our weekday. It has become an everyday thing to get the information on the Internet than in real life. Facebook is one of the most popular Web sites, which had become home to personal news feeds in which users receive updates from friends’ acquaintances and colleagues. In addition to Facebook, there are sites like Twitter and Radar.net, where you can send photos, and make updates. Mr. Possion says that, we are at the apex of that trend, it becomes about saying thing – just blathering on. Mr. Katz means, that missed or indirect communication can often actually be preferable, and he understands,...
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...2 A 1. In text one, Don´t Want to Talk About it? Order a Missed Call by Matt Richtel, there is been giving some information about a new technology called Slydial, which allow you to skip the call and go directly to the voicemail. People like Ms. Gorman, who is one of the text´s examples of a user of Slydial, use this new technology to avoid awkward conversation such as breaking up with someone. Text 2, Sex, Lies, and the Internet by Andrew Keen, is about how websites can be used to ruin people life with pranks. In the two cases that the text mentions, that it all have started as a joke. The first example is about a man that makes a fake identity on a meeting site and then get information about the men that contact him on the website. Then he reveal all their information about them and now a lot of them have both lost jobs and families. In the second case no one are reveal but it could had been that way. A girl and her friend posted a fake case on a site for women where they can warn other about their ex-boyfriends. A man should had raped her and soon the women went berserk about and wanted him in jail. All because of a joke. 2. In text number 3, Technophobia – the sign of a born leader? by Stuart Jeffries, the attitude to emails and mobile phones is some kind of patronizing. Jeffries is using negative words, which makes the united tone of this text negative. According to Jeffries, the internet is filled up with unimportant thing. “They sit at computer-free...
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...start to try different things, like alcohol to try to fit into a certain group of people. Starting to drink alcohol at that stage in life can put someone at risk for continuing drinking in the future and possibly getting worse. The National Institute of Health also states, “Exposing the brain to alcohol during this period may interrupt key processes of brain development, possibly leading to mild cognitive impairment as well as to further escalation of drinking” (“Underage”). These people that are drinking at this age do not realize the possible damage they are doing to their bodies and brains. Some people do realize the damage but they choose to ignore it because they want to “fit in” or “be cool”. Older people need to show the younger generation that “fitting in” or “being cool” is all that. Most of the underage drinking is done at college campuses and these students are affecting their education by drinking. The National Institute of Health says, “Subtle alcohol-induced adolescent learning impairment...
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...marriage, women were not allowed to own their property, sign a contract, or keep their wages. Women were also not allowed to obtain a real education. They were taught differently than males. They were expected to restrict their sphere of interest to the home and the family. This was so unfair, that this whole revolution took over 50 years to let us get the right to vote. The Women’s Rights movement were the biggest enfranchisement and extension of our democratic rights in our nation’s history, along with the Civil Rights Movement. The womenś rights was full political movement, with its own press, its own imagery, and its own philosophers, organizers, lobbyists, financiers, and fundraisers. This involved three generations and millions of women. Each generation of activists witnessed the division of suffrage movement into moderate and radical camps. This was probably the longest revolution ever. Suffrage activists spent more than 50 years trying to educate the public and waging campaigns in the states and nationally to establish the legitimacy of votes for women. Suffrages managed almost 2 decades of direct lobbying as well as dramatic, non-violent, militant action to press their claim to vote. Before 1776, women used to have the right to vote in several American colonies, but after 1776, the states took away their right to vote. This made them mad, thinking it was unfair. But besides that, in 1787, women were ONLY allowed to vote in New Jersey, but that ended in 1807...
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...South Africa Have you ever wonder if there is another person just like you in another country. Are that someone may be doing the same exact thing that you are doing at that moment or even like the same things you like. We would never know the answer to that question, unless we get out and explore the world of choices. I want you to lay back and close your eyes and dream of a place you would love to explore. As you do that I want you to keep in mind the following the different cultures you may come in contract with. See if discrimination still exists in that country you are visiting and what are the problems. What ethnic groups are in this country? South Africa is a country that is located at the top of Africa as you look at it; it put you in the mind of a guenia pig. It has diverse cultures and languages. Majority of the ethnic groups are black African. South Africa has many problems with discrimination that is widely spread around the world. I am here today to give you a bit of information of the things I have stated in this paragraph. As a child I always wonder about other cultures in countries, the different racial groups, and if discrimination was still going on in the world all over. Now I am able to explore the different things that may occur in other countries. Cultures Food: One of the cultures that caught my eye was the food that they eat. South African cuisine reflects the indigenous population and the country's many settlers. One of the most popular influences...
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