Molly Scott
English 100
Section A
Reading Response #1
January 8, 2010

In the article “The New Literacy”, Clive Thompson supports Andrea Lunsford’s beliefs that our world of literacy is being changed by the new technology, and now the only way to keep up with the world’s youth, is to jump on the bandwagon and educate yourself about the internet. Lunsford finds that writing for an audience makes for a well written piece, however when a student has to write for a professor they cant see the excitement in that because it is only being read by one person, and not a person that they would care to have read there work in the first place. In his recent work, Clive Thompson suggests that the online chatting is only ruining literacy, when later he realizes that before this new technology people didn’t have any other ways to have an audience read their work other then sending a letter to some one or having a job that requires writing all the time. “ I think we’re in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven’t seen since Greek civilization” Lunsford states, this is a big deal that the internet is this powerful on the world and writers of today, and people do not even realize that they are part of this new revolution. Older people all over the world doubt this new technology, and think that it is only making our youth illiterate and “texting has dehydrated language into “bleak, bald, sad shorthand”.


My opinion is that we should embrace this new technology, its only time that every one should become technologically advanced so that every one can communicate through it. Right now I’m accepting this new technology, by writing in a blog for my peers to read from, personally I do believe that this does make me want to work harder on my home work when I know that other people will be reading it. Its pushing me to a higher level of literacy and it can do the same for any one else who has not accepted the world of new technology. However, I do not believe that other learning strategies should be thrown out the window because of these new studies, letters still should be sent from one person to another through the mail, and phone calls should still be made rather then texting, real conversations should still be held not all talking needs to take place on face book. This technology is not all good, for me at least, I’m always going to have that temptation of looking at my facebook while I’m working on my essay or homework. However, I still support the internet for what it is and really how popular it has become, it really doesn’t interfere with my home work or writing to much to totally throw away.