“Look it
up!” I must have heard that a million
times growing up. Seriously, my parents
refused to explain anything to me. They
made me go into my room, find the correct volume of the 20 book encyclopedia
collection, or the 5,000 lb dictionary, and search for answers. I’d like to think they were mixing cardio
into my homework, but those were the days when we actually had gym every day,
WITH an actual gym teacher.
My kids will
never know the heft of a disintegrating Merriam Webster. “Look it up,” has basically been replaced by
“Google it,” and although Googling it may be easy, life post internet has its
pros and cons.
1. Pro:
Finding information is easy.
A sentence in a search engine can answer almost any question. Portable knowledge at your fingertips. What could be better? You can find answers, examples, and video
tutorials on your phone on the bus. Who
was Charlemagne? What is the difference
between Mandarin and Cantonese chicken? What
were the names of the Wonder Twins? Data
is accessible almost everywhere. How
great is that feeling when you find a coupon for the item you are buying while
standing in the checkout line with it?
Con: Finding information is easy.
Our kids are growing up in a world of instant gratification. Not only do they lack the patience to thumb
through a thesaurus, they can’t even wait 30 seconds for a page to load. We are growing an impatient society, and
often times, the better choice is worth the wait. Giving up after 30 seconds does not foster a
problem solving attitude and the skills that go with it: Critical thinking, perseverance, creativity,
etc. If Samuel Morse lacked these problem
solving skills, we may still be waiting at our outposts for the pony express. And just think if Steve Jobs lacked critical
thinking, creativity, and perseverance!!!
2. 2. Pro:
Meeting people is easier.
The web connects you to people all over the world. Chat groups exist for just about
everything. You can commiserate with
others about your acne or your parents’ divorce. You can get helpful advice and feel less
isolated. When I was a new mom for the
first time, I didn’t know anyone. I had
recently moved, and the friends I did have either didn’t have kids or didn’t
have time. I found a local moms’ group
online and it just might have saved my sanity.
We chatted about new baby stuff, and we had playdates and moms’ nights. Eleven years later, I still have friends from
this group, including some of my closest friends, and our kids are now tween
BFFSB (best friends forever since birth!)
Con: Meeting people is harder.
It used to be that people met in college.
The bookstore line, classes, the laundry room. Now students are talking to friends they
already have, and the real world is just background noise. There could two kids from the same dorm walking
right next to each other will never stop and chat an d build a friendship
because one of them is face timing some kid from high school. Kids are not meeting each other as young
adults, nor are they learning the social skills they need in adult life. Eventually there will be a time to network,
and face to face job interviews, and young people won’t be prepared. Everyone can’t be Lisbeth Salander. You have to look people in the eye, have a
firm handshake, and hold real conversations..
3. Pro:
Texting.
Texting is the communication of choice these days. It’s easy. It’s quick. “I’ll b there at 5.” “ELA notes attach.” It’s a convenient way to check in or give a
progress report, and it may or may not entail an entire conversation. “I am back safe” is one of the best texts a
parent can get. Plus auto correct makes
for some pretty hilarious interactions.
Con: Texting.
Texting is often misconstrued and leads to unnecessary altercations. There is no body language with a text, and an
emoji doesn’t quite project a facial expression (though it can get the general temperament
across <3.) For me, the worst part
about texting is that the actual art of writing disappears. No details.
No syntax. No beauty created with
language. All the great words we have in
our language with such subtle differences we need a thesaurus can be replaced
by text slang, or a blob man winking.
Semantics is such a wonderful puzzle from which we can form our exact
thoughts, including emphasis and tone, and it’s all lost with text when even
the simple “be” becomes “b.” Not only
that, but the physical form of writing disappears with it. Remember all those notes you got in
class? I saved mine in shoeboxes for a
while. Girls had so many
flourishes. Smiley faces dotted the lowercase
“I’s and j’s.” Some kids worked hard at
having physically beautiful handwriting, and it was impressive! Texting has no place for eye catching rhetoric,
and there are no conversation traces left behind to indicate any relationships,
be them romantic or otherwise. Nothing
to lead us fondly down memory lane. Our
history of communication vanishes, oftentimes with the pictures that accompany
it.
Like all
things, life after the online universe has its pros and cons. Of course the internet is great. So much content that is so accessible. You can learn more information, faster, and
study the world, its history, politics, and atmosphere from a comfy spot on
your couch. However, I do think that it’s a good idea to teach your kids the
retro way to communicate. Like you
should still learn to add despite the calculator, and you should know how to
tie a shoe even after Velcro. Kids
should look things up in a dictionary and thesaurus. Learn how to read a map and plan a route. Maybe even (gasp!) hand write a letter in the
correct format. God forbid one day their
hard drives will crash!
