Monday, January 27, 2014

a literacy revolution

“ I think we're in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven't seen since Greek civilization

--Andrea Lunsford via Clive Thompson on the New Literacy


What is the first thing you do in the morning once you wake up?  Do you have to turn off your alarm clock?  [Do you even still bother to own an alarm clock?]  Or are you like most people nowadays that uses their smart phones as their wake up calls?  Our cell phones have connected us so prominently to one another and they are often the first things we interact with in the morning, and the very last thing we touch before falling asleep at night.

Because we are influenced by our many social networking accounts and constant need to be informed, we, as a generation, are communicating more than any other generation before us.

We have this fundamental need to share the going ons of our lives, and above all, to be relevant.  As Thompson writes,

 “The fact that students today almost always write for an audience (something virtually no one in my generation did) gives them a different sense of what constitutes good writing.”
  
If our posts, tweets, and pictures do not inspire, inform, or amuse our friends and the other people connected to us online, what is the point?  The need to have our ideas and thoughts confirmed by our public influences our decisions on what and how to say everything online.

While this definition of kairos (according to Merriam-Webster:  a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action; the opportune and decisive moment) may not have been what Aristotle had in mind, it is apparent that it is a skill that many people in this generation have, and it is one that will continue to improve and change our perceptions of the world.

8 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed how you opened up your argument with questions. It engages readers, and grabed my attention right off the bat. I also enjoyed all your insights on the cell phone. It's crazy that it is, indeed, the last thing I touch at night & the first thing in the morning: I have become dependent on it. Scary realization. The internet and its many connections (through the cell phone) are always at the tips of our fingers.

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    1. Isn't it absurd when you really think about it? I completely agree, it is a deeply scary realization. Thanks for your feedback!

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  2. I agree. We are now in a new age of information sharing and communication, which this kind of dramatic change hasn't happened in a long time. This kind of communication allows people to connect easier and share ideas more efficiently. Its like we are in a renaissance movement of sorts.

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  3. Your point on us wanting to be relevant and how the internet gives us an outlet to do that was something I never considered before. It's interesting how the internet is a space filled so heavily with the thoughts of others that we feel the need to stand out among them and yet are dependent on the people behind those thoughts to acquire that feeling of relevance.

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    1. It's almost paradoxical, don't you think?

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  4. I'm sure you've seen this already, but if you haven't, I bet you'd enjoy it.

    http://vimeo.com/70534716

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    1. I had not watched that before, but it was very interesting. The concept makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks for sharing!

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