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Help me solve connection

problems.Entering DePauls Lincoln Park John T.Richardson library every person ! notice o

the "irst "loor is looking at a screen# a lapto

computer or smart phone. ! get o"" o" the

elevator on the "ourth "loor and "ind an em

table by a $indo$ near an outlet o" course

%s a "reshman student at DePaul ! have re

heavily on my laptop "or getting $ork done

&nce ! plug my laptop in ! open 'oogle

(hrome $hich gives me the message )*n

to connect to the !nternet.+ ,y net$ork

settings open and o""er me a link $hich rea

)Help me solve connection problems.+ &ur

"irst year $riting course -RD /0 has

recently engaged in discussions on the

impacts o" technology on the classroom an

personal e1perience. This prompted my

$ondering do connection problems really

only apply to my $ireless net$ork settings

3itting here in the library ! $onder $hy it $so important to me that ! "ind a table to

mysel". -hats more $hy $as ! annoyed th

among all the empty tables a pro"essor

decided to 4oin me at mine2 %"ter all $e ar

sitting at a table $ith "our chairs. ! think ou

)connection issues+ go "ar beyond spotty -

and its the heavy attachment $e have to

technology $hich people o"ten blame "or o

$eakened personal connections.

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!n my o$n contemplation o" )solving connection problems+ $ith observations

o" personal interactions "ading possibly caused by technology !m reminded

o" a debate $hich $as discussed in class. !n a debate on (66 ,ark 7auerlein

author o" The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young

Americans and Jeopardizes our Future very candidly critici8es my o$n

generation. He states )young people are dro$ning in digital diversions $hich

purvey teen stu"" and the adult realities o" history and civics cant break

through.+ His "ello$ arguer Emory college graduate David 5eldman "eels )my

generation $e have this incredible ability to "ilter this in"ormation and to kno$

$hat is important.+ &n one hand it seems possible that $e my generation

are missing out on a $ealth o" in"ormation due to our tendency to get caught

up in social net$orks. Ho$ever as 5eldman points out times our changing and

our "luency $ith technology has allo$ed us to develop skills $hich can give us

a leg up $hen $e 4oin the $ork"orce.

3imilar to 7auerleins vie$s are those o" 6icholas (arr. (arrs essay )!s 'oogle

,aking *s 3toopid2+ $as assigned in class along $ith many other readings

$hich e1plore digital thought. He points out that although the internet makes

coming across in"ormation very easy as $ell as entertaining it is shaping the

thought process o" humans by allo$ing less thought concentration and

contemplation to go into learning. Thus less learning is actually occurring. !

agree $ith him that the ease $ith $hich $e can no$ obtain in"ormation on the

internet has made our brains la8y and the "re9uency in $hich $e have come to

use the internet is $earing on our concentration. Ho$ever ! "eel that (arr

places all o" the blame on the internet alone and $eakens his argument by

avoiding mentioning any other possible contributors to$ards this issue. The

stances o" (arr and 7auerlein provoked my speculation o" the opinions o" my

mothers boy"riend -ill. -ill is the president o" his sel":run marketingcompany $hom ! have to come kno$ very $ell. He is an avid reader $ho

thoroughly en4oys international history languages and politics.

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!n speaking $ith -ill ! learned that he 9uite strongly disagrees $ith 7auerlein

and (arr. -ill elo9uently replied to 7auerleins position by saying.

I dont think that the younger generation is social misfits.

In other words, I feel that your generation is more socially

adept and because of this social media, you are actually

able to understand more of the social life whereas I think

our generation did not. Our generation got news and

shared things with people at such a slow rate. Our rate ofdigestion of what it means to be human is slower and not

as complete. I think the younger generation is quite the

opposite of introverted due to technology.

7ecause -ill is very involved and kno$ledgeable in history civics cultures

etc. ! think his stance $ould take 7auerlein o"" guard. ! do agree $ith -ills

many opinions on the topic o" digital thought. -e agree in the idea that

technology is e1traordinarily bene"ical to education and that i" research proves

it to be a detriment to the human brain $e $ill adapt and evolve to "ind ne$

$ays to e1ercise our minds. %"ter speaking $ith -ill ! became curious ho$ my;:year old sister $ould "eel about the sub4ect.

,y sister Rachel is a 4unior in high school and might lack the years o"

e1perience and abundance o" kno$ledge $hich -ill has accrued ho$ever

many o" her vie$points matched his.

-hen ! asked Rachel about her vie$s on technology she told me that

technology has great capacity to improve our education but absolutely hinders

our ability to "ocus. ! asked her $hat the biggest problems $ith technology

$ere in her li"e.

echnology probably makes me take five times as long

to get my homework finished. !ometimes I actually give

my phone to dad or "hris and ask them to hide it while I

do my homework and then ask them for it back when Ive

gotten a good portion done. #nd it helps a lot. If Im on a

computer usually I can $ust be focused on one website at a

time but if I have my phone on me, Ill be a lot more

distracted. Its te%ting, witter, and Instagram that

distract me.

Rachels re"erence to the very distracting nature o" social media and

opinion that it isnt necessarily taking over our lives connects to the

opinions o" 3teven Pinker. Pinkers essay ),ind over ,ass ,edia+ $as

one o" the only articles discussed in class $hich $holeheartedly

supports technology. -hile addressing the counterargument o" the $ay

e1perience changes the brain Pinker rebuttals by e1plaining )the

e1istence o" neural plasticity does not mean the brain is a blob o" clay

pounded into shape by e1perience.+ He "eels that the impacts o"

electronic media are not nearly as signi"icant as critics imply noting

that distraction is not a ne$ occurrence and cannot be blamed on

technology alone. He believes the best solution to be implementing

sel":control to resist the temptations $ith our o$n $ill. ! like this point

because it strays "rom the typical blame being placed on

advertisements social media and digital devices "or our lack o"

attention span. !nstead he places the responsibility in our o$n hands.

Did anyone "orce us to create a 5acebook account or buy a smart

phone2 3ure it is more convenient to keep up $ith modern trends but

it is not necessary "or survival. ! appreciate the $ay in $hich he givesus the po$er to e1ercise our minds $ithout allo$ing us to simply blame

the internet "or its deteriorating.

5rom my o$n e1perience generational di""erences do impact our

e1periences $ith technology but not necessarily our vie$points. The

agreements bet$een -ill and Rachel and the universal acceptance o"

technology !ve $itnessed in my e1perience at DePaul are indicative o"

the modern necessity to $holly embrace technology. The older $oman

$ho 4oined me in the library $as also utili8ing technology "or the

entirety o" her $ork. Ho$ever ! "eel that she may have been morecom"ortable 4oining me because she came "rom a generation $ith much

more personal interactions. Thus ! "eel that although my generation

bene"its $idely "rom technology $e could take a note on maintaining

more personal and social relations $ith one another "rom the older

generations. Perhaps ne1t time ! get on the L !ll strike up a

conversation $ith the stranger to my side.