Being born in 1999, my childhood years were spent playing outside with friends, participating in sports after school, and occasionally watching TV. As I got older, technology started advancing and making its way into my life starting out with the first iPhone in 2007. While most people would argue that technology is not educational, I would argue the opposite.
The reason that I am pro-technology is because I have seen first-hand the ways that it positively impacts my life. The Internet has taught me so much more about politics, things going on in other countries, and just an overall knowledge about the world. The perspective that Goldsmith takes on why the Internet is actually not wasteful is one that I could relate to. The most interesting standpoint that Goldsmith makes is his assertion that that the Internet does not make us antisocial, but actually can make us more social. He mentions how he’s met so many friends through Facebook that have led to invitations to a dinner party, work opportunities, etc.
When reading Lindsey Saienni’s article, her perspective is very close-minded, and she basically says that every poet on the Internet is ruining poetry and that’s about all her argument consists of. It is slightly ironic and humorous that she’s using a social platform to complain about poets using social platforms. It’s almost like she’s reaching a bigger audience.
Goldsmith’s book brought to mind the many people who have social anxiety or social disorders, such as autistic children. Many of those children and adults may be told that the internet is ruining their chance to make real connections, when in reality it is making them more social and comfortable than ever by giving them alternate ways to communicate. Does the Internet and social media have its pros and cons? Absolutely. However, for the most part it has connected us so much more than face to face interactions ever have.
Literature & the Internet 