…I saw the video on what you said about “Young Americans and the Internet” in class a couple of days ago and feel I have to write down some thoughts on this for you. Before discussing your statements I would like to tell you some things about me:

I am under the age of 30.

I’ve got my mobile phone with me every day.

I love facebook to stay in contact with my friends.

And still:

I like to see myself as a trustworthy person.

I am not stupid.

I am not lazy.

I am not ignorant.

But, Mr. Bauerlein, I can agree with you on some aspects. You are right that the digital age brought some problems with it, we didn’t have to face before. Me too, I think we have to protect young children from the dangers the internet brings about, but it’s not the influence of social networking that I am most concerned about.

Speaking of social networking:

What is so bad about it, anyway?

Do you not think communication, even if it’s via the internet, is important for the development of young people?

Do you not think it’s a bit too easy blaming sites like facebook for a lack of disinterest in “historical knowledge and literary understanding” among teenagers?

What you are saying sounds to me like: “In the good old times before the digital age all the young people were highly intelligent and interested in culture, history and literature and then =>BOOM<= the digital age made them all stupid and ignorant.” Since when do the use of mobile phones, blackberries, the internet and so forth contradict studiousness and a broad general knowledge? Yes, of course, there are teenagers whose world revolves solely around social networking and who are just not interested in reading books or politics, but is that really a new phenomenon triggered by the rise of the digital era?

Here are some figures to make up your mind, Mr. Bauerlein:

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more people than ever enroll in and graduate from university. “Enrollment in degree-granting institutions increased by 16 percent between 1985 and 1995. Between 1995 and 2005, enrollment increased at a faster rate (23 percent), from 14.3 million to 17.5 million” (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98). Moreover, participation in adult learning courses increased from 33% in 1991 to 44,4% in 2005. Among the group that attracts your attention the increase was even more significant, namely from 37.8% in 1991 to 52.8% in 2005. That does not sound like a decline of interest in academic learning, does it?

And maybe your students are not as “stupid and ignorant” as you assume. They may not have read all the books you consider important for being “a complete citizen and a complete individual”, but they may have acquired other skills and competencies that are thought of as more essential by the employment market. For many employers nowadays it is more relevant that job applicants have basic skills in computing and new media than that they have read Shakespeare’s tragedies and have learned all the historical dates by heart.

There are definitely positive and negative aspects about the digital era we live in, but we have to acknowledge that the development is not reversible. This is also why, in my opinion, we should come to terms with the digital world we live in and mustn’t close ourselves to new media.

If I convinced you, you might join me in the new media course…

Respectfully,

Sophie Haertel