Maybe They're All Right?

(My original take on Hedges "Bad Day" article is the post before this one, sorry for the confusion.)

Thompson, much more than Hedges, believes that the internet has added to civic literacy, especially in young people. I’d agree that the internet has provided many hours of practice for writing, and on an anecdotal level I personally think I would be considerably less of a writer if it wasn’t for the internet.

The ideologies of Sullivan and Thompson seem to directly contradict the beliefs of Carr and Hedges. Who’s right, then? It seems hard to believe that the internet could simultaneously cause the dumbing down and the literary revival of America. The two outcomes, as crazy as this may sound, do not have to be mutually exclusive. Some people, such as those Hedges wrote about, will gravitate towards websites that perpetuate their political beliefs and others that provide no real intellectual growth. For other people, however, the internet will be utilized for the gathering of opposing opinions and ideas in a fast and convenient way that may enhance public discourse.

Because the internet is so incredibly vast, people can utilize it for a variety of things. Sullivan claims that internet use, especially blogging, has added to traditional news sources. Thompson claims that everyday internet use by young people will act as subtle practice for writing. Carr maintains that the internet’s ease and accessibility could potentially have adverse affects and Hedges is just an angry pessimist who thinks that America is becoming more and more illiterate. In his article, however, Hedges wrote less about the internet and more about general illiteracy in this country. To a certain extent, Sullivan and Thompson’s views don’t have to necessarily conflict with those of Carr and Hedges. The newspaper industry is in undisputedly in shambles; however, newspapers and journalism aren’t totally synonymous. Sullivan’s article was on the legitimacy of blogs, and while I agreed with many of his ideas I mentioned how many blogs are of considerably less quality than Sullivan’s and they oftentimes drown out the better ones. Hedges agrees with me here, but he fails to mention that quality blogs, such as Sullivan’s, do exist and can be considered legitimate journalism.

Thompson’s beliefs and Hedges beliefs don’t completely contradict each other either. Thompson’s claims were about younger people while the majority of those Hedges was referring to were working class adults. It is possible then that overall literacy is declining in our culture while at the same time the internet has benefitted the writing ability of younger internet users. Obviously, in order to write an article like Hedges’ or Thompson’s one must take a side of an argument. The real world, however, is not always so black and white.