Jelani Pritchard
Professor Werry
RWS 100
26 Sept.
2014
Because the Internet
While some believe that creativity and style are the keys
in writing, others strongly support that knowledge and consistency are what makes
a text appealing.
So what really makes an individual a skilled writer? Clive Thompson, a Canadian journalist, blogger, and writer,
may have an answer to that. In his book, "Smarter
Than You Think," he addresses the factors on what may make an
individual a good writer. His
purpose in writing this text was to help readers explore how cognitive thinking
of a writer has altered because of the internet. Thompson addresses the audience effect and how an audience
can actually alter the quality of work an individual may write. He also discusses the idea of the multiples,
how individuals can connect with another on a cognitive level through literature
on networks. Thompson
presents his claims to the audience through sought out statistical research,
experiments from universities, and information from qualitative authority. Thompson persuades us that the internet and
the advancement of technology has improved our skills in writing. To find out if Thompsons argument is accurate
or has many weak points, I will analyze claims and how it is represented to the
audience and also evaluate his text and presentation.
In the text,
Thompson points out that the internet/technological advancement has helped people write more and even improved
their writing skills. According
to Thompson, "we compose of 154 billion emails, 500 million tweets on
Twitter, 1 million blog posts and comments, and about 150 billion words written
on Facebook each day" (Thompson 47). Thompson supports his claim by stating that through social
networks and emails, individuals are making huge accomplishments without even being aware. Social media such as Twitter has created us to
share our thoughts and writings more often than ever. Millions of individuals have created an
account on Twitter and is active in tweeting. Surprisingly enough to some, Tweeting is a form of writing
an it is argued that the more active an individual has become in their writing,
the better the writing gets. Thompson
also provides researched data from an English Professor from Stanford
University who states, "teens who message online appear to have better
spelling and literacy abilities from those who do not" (Thompson 67). The evidence Thompson provides helps readers
to understand that individuals who use the internet are more active in writing
than those who are not.
Involvement with the internet allows the individual to be more active in
writing, which will enhance their writing skills. Statistical data is provided to strengthen the argument for
the audience.
Performing
under pressure for individuals tend to improve their performance. Social scientist in Thompsons text, calls this
the "audience effect"- which is the shift in our performance when we
know people are watching. He exemplifies
his claim through a interview with blogger Gabriel Weinberg. Weinberg asserts "even if I was
publishing it (writing) to no one, it's just the threat of an audience...If someone could come across it under my name,
I have to take it more seriously" (54). The audience effect does not only explain the increase of
quality of our writing but it can be applied to almost anything. College athletes that want to go pro do their
absolute best to be scouted. They do
so by competing well in games and showcasing their talents at combines. The audience effect is a such an important
factor in our performance, it occurs even at a young ages. He supports his claim by presenting an
experiment at Vanderbilt University that has two groups of kids trying to solve
a puzzle (55). One
group had to solve the puzzle alone in silent while the other had to explain
the way they were solving the puzzle into a tape recorder. The results showed that the kids who tried
completing the puzzle did much worse than the group who didn't (55). Through
his presentation of the Vanderbilt experiment and the interview with blogger
Gabriel Weinberg, Thompson creates a strong argument that the audience effect
is a key factor that improves our skill in writing. With the help of the internet, our work can be
viewed by others. An
audience is now watching and we are under pressure to perform well. The audience effect, claimed by Thompson, is
said to play a key role in the change of our writing skills. It is argued that an audience will force an
individual to perform better. Several
reasons can be put into play here depending on the individual. They may feel like they want to avoid
embarrassment if their work does not satisfy their audience or to simply
impress viewers. Not only
does the audience effect and technological advancements such as the internet
has increased the quality and quantity of our writing, but it has created a
platform for public thinking. Our
works can be shared on social media, blogs, etc. to have others criticize it or help contribute. Thompson makes the claim that without public
thinking, it would have not made the same accomplishments we have made today in
our works of writing.
Because of
the internet, individuals are able to write more actively and effectively for
an audience. Not only
does our quality in writing increase day by day in the modern era, but it has
also created a broader scale of public thinking. Thompson asserts that individuals are able to make
connections with others through the internet. Making connections has been vital in the history of thought
and its future. He calls
this the theory of multiples. He
supports his claim by using information from sociologists William Ogburn and
Dorothy Thomas that argued that our ideas are a product of our environment. Before the era of technology, four
astronomers, including Galileo, all individually discovered sun spots (59). Without actually having any communication with
each other, they all made the same discovery because of their surroundings,
which was the popular topic of their time of space and religion. Thompson discusses how the things us humans
think about are influenced by the state of art around us, the shared
information from the internet, or even the tool of technology at the palms of
our hands (59). Now that
technology has advanced, the internet
has been a tool in sharing ideas with others and spreading thoughts. It has created a platform for public thinking,
and it certainly improves the way we write and how we present it to an audience.
Thompson
addresses several claims that appoint to how writing has changed in our modern
era. The main claims that seem to be the key points
of his text makes strong arguments on how our skills in writing has altered. The internet and technological advancements
has increased the amount of writing humans compose each day. It has made us more active in writing which
certainly does improve our quality in writing. Because of the astonishing fact that we compose over 36
trillion words per day, individuals question that we actually compose
productive words. Some argued
that the internet and social media might of created a more lazier way of
writing. Thompson
does an exceptional job in explaining how overall that no matter what is being
typed out, it is known that the internet has allowed individuals to be more
active in writing. The more
writing an individual does, the better they get. Another way writing has changed in our modern era is the
increase of the quality in our writing. Writing skills have improved tremendously with simply
writing more, people watching us, and sharing our ideas and works. It is important that we acknowledge Thompsons
to continue this improvement in our era.
