Note: This assignment was based on the reading “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” but could be adapted to other primary texts.
A .docx version of this assignment can be downloaded here.
Outline Assignment
APA Style, 25 points
Step One: Write a short intro that explains your topic and what the controversy is regarding your topic. What are the different points of view that make it argumentative?
The internet has made so many things in life quicker and easier. Many people couldn’t imagine what the world would be like without it. For most it is an enjoyable hobby or makes their work easier to accomplish. Many see no harm and believe it has helped us advance as a society. Some though are concerned about the effect that it may be having on how we read and think.
Step Two: Develop a working thesis
Thesis: The internet is rewiring our brains and this is probably not a good thing.
Step Three: Decide on at least three Supporting Points. These should directly connect to your thesis, support it, and develop the discussion about it. You may also include counterargument(s) here as well.
- 1. The internet is easy to use but shortens our attention span and ability to focus.
- 2. Our brains are malleable and therefore can be rewired in either a positive or negative way.
- 3. Technology(in this case the internet) creates new processes and those processes change the way we do things as a society.
Step Four: For each point, develop several supporting details. These details may include counterarguments that naturally come up related to each point, instead of making the counterargument a major point.
- 1. The internet is easy to use but shortens our attention span and ability to focus.
- a. Acknowledging it makes research easier – there are many benefits
- b. Lessens our ability to concentrate – we are distracted by links, videos, messengers and notifications popping up
- c. We read more but don’t make connections – inability to stay focused means that we can’t understand complicated ideas as readily. If we have to make too many connections in order to get to the point we give up
- 2. Our brains are malleable.
- a. We are constantly rewiring our brain as we dismiss things we no longer use and learn how to do new things. Brain plasticity is good – helps us adapt to new situations
- b. Intellectual technologies change the way our brain functions and makes us think like the technology
- c. New technology absorbs old technologies and scatters our focus. It reprograms us.
- 3. The internet creates new processes and those processes change the way we do things as a society
- a. Technology creates new “systems” for greater efficiency. For example, industrial revolution. Made production safer and more efficient but also created “automatons”
- b. Information is the commodity that the internet tries to make as efficient as possible
- c. Artificial Intelligence projects are the new frontier but are they a good thing?
Step Five: Now for each supporting detail, think about where you will really need to bring in source material in order to illustrate, create credibility, support, etc. Plan what you will use where and begin thinking about any additional research you may need to do.
- 1. The internet is easy to use but shortens our attention span and ability to focus.
- a. Acknowledging it makes research easier – there are many benefits
- i. Little bit of personal anecdote about how I use the internet
- ii. Thompson – benefits of having immediate access to information
- iii. McLuhan – media isn’t passive, it shapes our thoughts. This will help me transition from the good to the potentially bad
- b. Lessens our ability to concentrate – we are distracted by links, videos, messengers and notifications popping up
- i. Karp – stopped reading books altogether, web is more convenient
- ii. Friedman (computers in medicine) – changed his mental habits, can no longer focus for more than 3-4 paragraphs
- iii. University College London research study about cognition
- c. We read more but don’t make connections – inability to stay focused means that we can’t understand complicated ideas as readily. If we have to make too many connections in order to get to the point we give up
- i. Acknowledge statistics that show we read more today than 30 years ago thanks to emails and text messages
- ii. Psychologists Wolfe study about how we read – this has changed with the proliferation of internet based media
- iii. Reading is not instinctive, it is learned. The internet is teaching us to read in a different way
- 1. Nietzsche story – transition into point 2(brain is malleable)
Step Six: After all points have been developed and filled in, write a short conclusion explaining the significance of the argument you are making.
As we continue to advance in our technological capabilities, many people will continue to push for even greater advantages. It is important to remember that each time we take a step forward, something else is lost or left behind. While on the surface these advancements seem to be making life better and easier, we have to consider what some of the long term costs might be. How will they change the way we think, interact, and function on a human level? Are we willing to pay the price or is it worth it?
Step Seven: Look over all of your ideas and brainstorm potential titles. Pick one and put it at the top of the page.
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Thinking Like the Internet
Losing Focus: How Brain Malleability Could Be a Bad Thing
Note:
You will not need to turn in all of the steps – just the final product. Be sure to look at the sample outline to see what that will look like.