Sven Birkerts essay, “The Owl Has Flown” taken from The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age 1994 focuses on the immature thoughts of using electronics with our reading. He refers to the past on multiple occasions, giving the reader the sense that Birkerts may think that the past was a much better way of reading. When Birkerts talks about reading he also means learning and interpreting, getting the understanding from what we read. The depth of reading has changed a lot since the middle ages and Birkerts believes that it has changed and will continue to change for the worse. A quote from my reading of this essay that really tore at me is, “As we now find ourselves at a cultural watershed—as the fundamental process of transmitting information is shifting from mechanical to circuit-driven, from page to screen—it may be time to ask how modifications in our way of reading may impinge upon our mental life. For how we receive information bears vitally on the ways we experience and interpret reality.” the reason for this becoming an obstacle for me is that I agree and disagree with him.
I agree with Birkerts when he says we need to watch out, for the way we are now reading is actually taking a toll on the way that we are receiving information.
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Technology is making it easier for us to keep in contact with one another and making it possible for us to share ideas and get feedback from others about our readings and learnings when we are not right next to each other. Some may not have the availability to books that they need and although technology is sometimes miss leading, if you do put time in you can usually find what you want. Technology is taking making life easier for us, which is a good thing but this being true is also the reason I agree with
...up-to-date information. Technology became so prevalent that it extinguished the desire and need to read and instead told everyone exactly what the government thought they should know and because the people became so accustomed to getting their information through these devices books became useless.
Technology opens the door to opportunities that past generations didn't have and that have expanded our abilities over a period of time . Andrea Lunsford , also a professor at a university , is quoted in Clive Thompsons article (source7) “The new literacy”saying that we
Carr’s article introduced author and developmental psychologist, Maryanne Wolf’s idea that “we are how we read” and how she worries that the style of reading promoted by the Net (a style that puts “efficiency” and “immediacy” above all else) may be weakening our capacity for the kind of deep reading that emerged when earlier technology (the printing press) made long and complex works of prose commonplace. Carr feels that humans are losing their ability to read and think like they used to before the internet was so popular.
First, he provides an overview of the history and development of the book as well as the development of reading. Carr analyzes and explains the effects of these developments on the individuals. Furthermore, he notes that the Internet recreates and alters a medium’s content by the use of hyperlinks, which ultimately distracts readers, and by separating the content into organized chunks. These characteristics make the content “searchable” which stimulates skimming behavior or superficial reading. As a result, readers retain less information due to the lack of deep, analytical reading. In addition, online texts often incorporate opinions, beliefs, or skewed viewpoints of certain topics, which can have negative effects on readers. Carr also addresses that some opponents believe that hardcopy reading was a result of “impoverished access” (111) and that the desire to use the fast paced web is a result of a quickening pace of life and work over the past few
Although Though technology can be good, it can be worse than good, such as people always with their faces on their phones and headphones in their ears, people neglecting books and using more online text, and people wasting their lives watching TV.Children now know how to use a phone faster than they can
If you had the choice between your phone and a book,you would probably without thinking grab your phone. But what if you knew that reading is crucial to a future. In “Reading for pleasure Is in Painful Decline” by Stephen L. Carter and “Twilight of the books” by Caleb Crain, both authors argue about the state of reading in The United States. Within both passages they give valid points as to why and how the state of reading are negatively affecting the country. Stephen L. Carter represents how the decline in reading for fun is the main concern, while on the other hand, Caleb Crain shows it’s technology and social media that actually are the main contributors.
The truth of the matter is people today honestly couldn’t live without technology. Think about not being able to snapchat your friend when you’re at the beach or not being able to share a post on Instagram about your best friend or even not being able to message your aunt on Facebook about vacation. To many people today, these things are simply unrealistic. This doesn’t necessarily mean technology is a bad thing, in fact technology is an amazing advancement. On page 12 paragraph 6 it says “The great thing about these platforms is that they allow us to participate in each other’s lives moments big and
Carr refers to how his friends reading habits have changed as “Even a blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb. I skim it.” (54). Reading has evolved from procuring and memorizing information for we have every opportunity to get that information as many times as
The electronic reader is encouraged to think of the text as a collection of interrelated units floating in a space of at least two dimensions. Her movement among units does not require flipping pages or consulting the table of contents; instead, she passes instantly and effortlessly from one place to another (Bolter 175.)
The opinions of many people vary on technology and the effects it has on today’s society. Some say that it’s more beneficial than anything, others completely disagree, and some have mixed emotions. Would you rather read out of a book, or play online learning games with a possible risk of eye problems? It’s about taking matters into your own hands. 71% of people believe technology has improved their lives. 76% of people completely disagree by saying that technology creates a lazy society and that is distracting and corrupting. Daily life with technology is also another huge issue in society. According to a survey taken in January 2013, people feel their work productivity has dropped 8% in the last year. They also felt that their relationships with their family at home dropped 4% in the past year. The opinions vary, but they are needed to show how technology is affecting different people.
Through the years works of literature have been distributed through many different means. These means usually reflect and take advantage of the latest technologies. Dominant sources of literature have changed over time. Today, instead of scouring though the local library’s card catalog, prospective readers will likely log onto Amazon to find the latest book in their favorite genre. Media technology has made communicating increasingly easier as time has passed throughout history. Everyone is now encouraged to use media tools and is expected to have a general understanding of the various technologies available. Only time will tell what the future will hold for electronic media. The present avenues may one day be looked back upon as today’s Library of Alexandria and be just another ruin in the history of literature.
Technology, either in form or gadgets in form of media or internet, if used properly can make big differences to make education learning far better than its current standards. Technology helps you in making things easier; everything is under your finger tips. It saves your time, you can more in less time, a finish a book you need hours or may be days, search the same thing on internet you fin results in just a fraction of second.
Society has been impacted both negatively and positively by technology. As a result, every aspect of our lives has been influenced by technology. Hence, life is easier, yet it has taken away some of the enjoyment. For example, remember the days of less stress and more personal interaction, when there were no online messages, no emails, social media or cell phones. We have become excessively dependent on technology. As a result, we need to rely less on technology even though it has made learning fun, and business, daily tasks, work, travel, shopping, making new friends and staying in touch easier. In conclusion, technology has a lot of benefits, yet it could take over our lives and become our worst enemy if we aren't careful.
...wan believes, one of the best things about our digital lives is the ease with which we can share ideas with others. It is now possible for readers to connect with each other worldwide, as well as recommend and share their opinions about a particular piece of literature. Our need to engage in “deep reading” will not go away, as Rosen believes. The act of how we read may evolve as it has been evolving since beginning of mankind. How we read and write has evolved from cave walls to stone tablets to paper to keyboards. The digital world will not change what we read, but how we read. Because the experience of reading, the love of narrative, and cravings for story-telling is instilled into our DNA. Reading is a basic human need, it is evolutionary. Even though our means of attaining information or story telling may change, the act of reading is literally forever-lasting.
... It's extremely sad how technology demolished any sense of human interaction. About 10 years ago, we didn’t have access to social networks or all of the internet that currently serves youngsters. Back in the day, if you wanted to meet new people you had to go to school or to parks to find people your age who could be possible friends. I personally believe that technology is the key to success; it has made countries all around the world grow from what some people thought to be uneducated into more developed and modernized countries.