In this chapter of "The Dumbest Generation," Mark Bauerlein pumps out various statistics and data, focusing on the amount of technology usage by the Millennials, people born between 1980- 2000. He employs a sarcastic tone while arguing that they spend a ridiculous amount time engrossed with technology. He states that in the category of the 8-18 year olds, 84% spend 3:04 hours on an average day watching television while only 46% spend an average of 23 minutes daily reading a book. However, these facts seem scewed- I cannot name anyone who can afford to spend 3 hours a day watching television. This forces me to question the type of kids who were evaluated for this data, because I don't think they represent the average. Most of my peers barely turn on the television, especially on school nights! Therefore, I don't agree with his extreme perspective. Bauerlein makes it seem like all kids do is mosey around online and with their video games; that they're all play and no work: "the total amount of leisure time kids spend with media 'is the equivalent of a full time job'." (Baurelein 77) .
Contrastingly, I identify more with writer Alexandra Robbins, who argues that the modern child is busier than ever and I believe technology facilitates these fast paced lifestyles. When people are looking for supplementary activities, many turn to the interenet as a source to help them find an opportunity that works for them. For example, one of my friends found the perfect nanny job on gonannies.com that allows her to live in the perfect location, and still attend school; she meshed with the family so well that they even offered to pay her tuition! Additionally, people can suppliment their current activities; coaches, tutors, mentors, etc. are available with a few clicks. I even found my college counselor with the help of the Internet. This exposure allows us to accomplish more than people could have ever imagined.
Where Bauerlein presents technology as a distraction from 'real work,' I find that technology has been a catalyst to creating more balanced and full lives. Moreover, the quality of our youth will continue to improve because it promotes competition by connecting people to endless resources while adding to the pressure on our youth to be the next big thing.
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I think that you have a really good argument, but your claim is kinda hazy. You should make it clearer like "Therefore I believe students today don't have time to play around on the Internet because of blank, blank, and blank.."
ReplyDeleteAlso I really liked your reason that we use the internet to help us find different oppurtunities. I believe that you could develop this really well.