26 SEPT paper (thompson)

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.