Clive Thompson Response

In Clive Thompson's article, Clive Thompson on the New Literacy, he gives two points of view on technological writing. In his article he quotes English professor John Sutherland saying that, “Facebook encourages narcissistic blabbering, video and PowerPoint have replaced carefully crafted essays, and texting has dehydrated language into bleak, bald, sad shorthand.” Sutherland's point of view is that all technological writing is destroying academic writing. Andrea Lunsford isn't so sure. In Thompson's article he quotes the professor of writing and rhetoric as she says, “I think we're in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven't seen since the Greek civilization.” Lunsford's point of view is that the technological form of writing isn't destroying the way people used to write but adapting it to the way people write today. Its pushing it in bold new directions. Clive then describes how students like this form of writing better then regular academic writing because its written to an audience. They don't like in-class writing because it feels to forced and they know its graded. Thompson also talks about Kairos, which is assessing their audience and adapting their tone and technique to best get their point across. I think that Lunsford has the right idea and that Sutherland is just mad because he doesn't have a facebook. In Thompson's article he states that more young people are writing then ever before in history. This is because of facebook, email, and texting. Even though this is not the kind of writing that some people approve of, its better then people not writing at all. Since so much socializing goes on online, people get comfortable writing to an audience. This makes them use this technology more and more which also makes them write more. This could mean that school should stop doing in class writing and ask their students to write a blog post, like this one, or do a class email so that the students know that their writing will be presented to an audience. In Thompson's article he says how students in Stanford were always less enthusiastic about in class writing assignments because they knew that they only audience was the professor and that the only purpose was for them to get a grade. This could be related to Cookson's article, what would Socrates say?, with the learningspheres. I don't think people should be getting mad that writing isn't as formal as it once was because the only thing that is happening is that the language is getting recreated to fit peoples forms of writing. People are getting more relaxed writing and use it the way that they feel the most comfortable using it. This is probably related to the way that they text or email their friends. Just because the way people text or talk to their friends isn't proper English or academic writing, doesn't mean that technological writing and socializing is destroying illiteracy. Basically I agree with how Lunsford thinks because she understands how using the technology with writing can make people more comfortable and relaxed and help them write more. Sutherland is over dramatic about whats happening with writing and needs to settle down.

Michael Sperry