Reference no: EM133428769
Change and the Internet
The texts we've focused on in this second unit all address technology as a vessel for seismic, widespread change, both on individuals and society. The texts have examined the cognitive effects (positive and negative) of the Internet, as well as the psychological and emotional impact (again, positive and negative) it makes on its users. We've discussed the implications of the Internet and social media on free will and politics, the ways in which the Internet shapes the world around us and leads to tangible (you guessed it...positive and negative) change. We have also examined the effect that the internet has on empathy and interpersonal relationships, on family life and social life. In essence, the Internet has changed every aspect of the way we interact and connect with one another, and with ideas and concepts. But as the first generations living through these changes, opinion varies on the temporary and lasting consequences of this new way of living.
Your task in this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis across multiple texts that will serve to make an argument about how you view these changes. You must use at least three of the texts.
The eligible texts are:
The Empathy Diaries, Sherry Turkle
Unfollow, Adrian Chen
The Social Dilemma, Netflix
Is The Internet Making Us Dumber?, Nicolas Carr
Is The Internet Making Us Smarter?, Clay Shirky
Your paper must, first and foremost, focus its analysis around a thesis that you will argue through the use of evidence and analysis from these sources. You may choose to focus on any number of topics relevant to the unit and explored in these essays. You may choose to write a paper focusing on Turkle, The Social Dilemma, and Carr, which argues that the internet has reduced our capacity to connect in meaningful ways; or you may choose to focus on Chen and Shirky, and make an argument about the increased capacity for large-scale change that can be achieved online; or you may choose any of a number of topics and arguments therein. What you should avoid is a paper that generalizes about the Internet or has a thesis resembling: "There are many positive and negative aspects of the internet." You must, if nothing else, make a definitive argument borne out by analysis of the texts.