Lincoln
Ms. Diana
June 1, 2012
AP Lit

Technology Revolution

    In the last fifteen years the way people communicate and interact has changed dramatically due to the impact of new technology. iPhones, Nooks, along with millions of other portable devices have completely changed the game of literacy. In the world of instant gratification and instant messaging, the need for proper grammar has completely been replaced by the need for a quicker way to communicate.

    Shakespeare used over 31 thousand words in his works in 1600’s, today in the 21st century the average person only knows 14 thousand words, less than half. In a world where the dictionary, every book ever written, and every person, is in the hands of almost every human but still the volume of vocabulary decreases. Why is it that people finally have access to the world but choose to play games like angry birds instead of reading the great writings of Thoreau, Marks, or Dickens? The answer is the mindsets between generations are not the same. Past generations believed in hard work and sacrifice to achieve their goals, while new generations believe in procrastination and instant gratification as the way to get things done. Instead of perfecting their grammar and building their vocabulary they are busy texting away, missing the beautiful world of reading and writing around them.

    iPhones put the world in your hands. They allow you to surf the web, communicate globally with others, and open up many other possibilities. Personally the iPhone has both negatively and positively impacted my literacy. Text messaging lead me to use acronyms such as “LOL” and “OMG” to express complex emotions through a LED screen instead of face to face with a person. At the same time the iPhone has allowed me to use apps such as “dictonary.com” to help me correct my grammer during e-mails and letters. Nooks put the library of congress into your hands. I do not personally own one, but from what I understand they are begging to replace written books. The true impact of iPads and Nooks will not be know for another 5-10 years because of their short existence so far. I believe they will continue to take the true depth and importance of books away, thus continuing the down spiral of literacy in the world.

    The ironic negative impact of technology on literacy has really caused many problems for adolescents in school and in turn could lead to many problems in the real world. If the present generations using the technology would take their noses out of the technology and pick up a real book and read it, the world may be a very different place in ten years. Hopefully future generations will understand the true meaning of good literacy and will use technology for good.