Not So Fast

In class today, we watched Frontline’s “Growing Up Online.” This documentary sparked a lively discussion on print media verses electronic media. Many students preached their enjoyment of and appreciation for print media, particularly books, and I was one of them. I love being able to hold a story in my hand, to take a book with me wherever I go. Someone said that there is just something very special about the feel of the binding and the smell of the pages of a book that can’t be replaced. While I agree with this statement, that last word didn’t sit well with me. I don’t feel like electronic books are meant to replace print books, but rather imitate them or simply work as a different means for perception and representation of the same story. Going back to the idea of oral tradition, stories weren’t written down to replace oral tradition, but rather the goal was to preserve the stories. My point is, no matter what and how (print, oral, electronic) the words are communicated, what matters is the story.

Also, I raised the question of why texts are so important to us. While this started as a rhetorical question, the answers students gave were interesting. For the most part, people said that texts allow critical thinking and cognitive development to occur. On this note, I think that movies also do in fact invite critical thinking, as our class discussion on the documentary illustrates. I don’t think it is fair to blame an individual medium for America’s general lack of focus today, but rather those media users. We have the choice to either read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, whether online or in print, or to use Sparknotes. The media is just there. It only becomes effective when we make decisions about how to use it.

Back to my question of why texts. If the answer is critical thinking and cognitive development opportunities, then my next question is why is critical thinking important? Perhaps the most obvious answer is critical thinking is an important skill for college and jobs. Fair enough. But then, why are college and jobs important? Money! Why is money important? Success! Why is success important? I think you see where I’m going with this: it all starts with social norms. That is, if we boil it all down, the reason texts are important to us is because of our society’s values. That’s it. If we valued computers more, as the new generation seems to, then Sparknotes would be important to us. Our desire to cling to print sources highlights the fact that our society is going through a transition. It is natural to be anxious about change. That said, it is important to keep an open mind about changes, like new media. We can like our books and stick with them. All I’m saying is that perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to judge because a hundred years from now, people may be clinging to nostalgic ideas of Facebook.