Help me solve connection problems.

Entering DePauls Lincoln Park John T. Richardson library every person ! notice on the "irst "loor is looking at a screen# a laptop computer or smart phone. ! get o"" o" the elevator on the "ourth "loor and "ind an empty table by a $indo$ near an outlet o" course. %s a "reshman student at DePaul ! have relied heavily on my laptop "or getting $ork done. &nce ! plug my laptop in ! open 'oogle (hrome $hich gives me the message )*nable to connect to the !nternet.+ ,y net$ork settings open and o""er me a link $hich reads )Help me solve connection problems.+ &ur "irst year $riting course -RD ./0 has recently engaged in discussions on the impacts o" technology on the classroom and personal e1perience. This prompted my $ondering do connection problems really only apply to my $ireless net$ork settings2 3itting here in the library ! $onder $hy it $as so important to me that ! "ind a table to mysel". -hats more $hy $as ! annoyed that among all the empty tables a pro"essor decided to 4oin me at mine2 %"ter all $e are sitting at a table $ith "our chairs. ! think our )connection issues+ go "ar beyond spotty -i5i and its the heavy attachment $e have to technology $hich people o"ten blame "or our $eakened personal connections.

!n my o$n contemplation o" )solving connection problems+ $ith observations o" personal interactions "ading possibly caused by technology !m reminded o" a debate $hich $as discussed in class. !n a debate on (66 ,ark 7auerlein author o" The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes our Future very candidly critici8es my o$n generation. He states )young people are dro$ning in digital diversions $hich purvey teen stu"" and the adult realities o" history and civics cant break through.+ His "ello$ arguer Emory college graduate David 5eldman "eels )my generation $e have this incredible ability to "ilter this in"ormation and to kno$ $hat is important.+ &n one hand it seems possible that $e my generation are missing out on a $ealth o" in"ormation due to our tendency to get caught up in social net$orks. Ho$ever as 5eldman points out times are changing and our "luency $ith technology has allo$ed us to develop skills $hich can give us a leg up $hen $e 4oin the $ork"orce. 3imilar to 7auerleins vie$s are those o" 6icholas (arr. (arrs essay )!s 'oogle ,aking *s 3toopid2+ $as assigned in class along $ith many other readings $hich e1plore digital thought. He points out that although the internet makes coming across in"ormation very easy as $ell as entertaining it is shaping the thought process o" humans by allo$ing less thought concentration and contemplation to go into learning. Thus less learning is actually occurring. ! agree $ith him that the ease $ith $hich $e can no$ obtain in"ormation on the internet has made our brains la8y and the "re9uency in $hich $e have come to use the internet is $earing on our concentration. Ho$ever ! "eel that (arr places all o" the blame on the internet alone and $eakens his argument by avoiding mentioning any other possible contributors to$ards this issue. The stances o" (arr and 7auerlein provoked my speculation o" the opinions o" my mothers boy"riend -ill. -ill is the president o" his sel":run marketing company $hom ! have to come kno$ very $ell. He is an avid reader $ho thoroughly en4oys international history languages and politics.

!n -hen speaking ! asked $ith Rachel -ill about ! learned herthat vie$s heon 9uite technology strongly disagrees she told me $ith that 7auerlein and technology (arr. -ill has elo9uently great capacity replied to to improve 7auerleins our education position by but saying. absolutely hinders our I ability to think "ocus. that ! asked her $hat the biggest problems $ith dont the younger generation is social misfits. technology $ere in her li"e. In other words, I feel that your generation is more socially echnology adept and probably because makes of this me social take media, five times you as are long actually to get my homework able to understand finished. !ometimes more of the I actually social life give whereas my phone I think to dad or our "hris generation and ask did them not. toOur hide generation it while I do got my news homework and and then shared ask things them for with it people back when at such Ivea gotten slow rate. a good Our portion rate of done. digestion #nd it helps of what a lot. itIf means Im on to a be computer human usually is slower I can and$ust not be focused as complete. on one Iwebsite think the at younger a time but generation if I have my is quite phone the on me, Ill opposite be a lot of more introverted distracted. due Its to technology. te%ting, witter, and Instagram that distract me. 7ecause -ill is very involved and kno$ledgeable in history civics cultures Rachels re"erence to the very distracting nature o" social etc. ! think his stance $ould take 7auerlein o"" guard. ! domedia agree and $ithopinion -ills that it isnt necessarily taking over our lives connects to the opinions o" many opinions on the topic o" digital thought. -e agree in the idea that 3teven Pinker. Pinkers essay bene"ical ),ind over ,ass ,edia+ $as one o" the only technology is e1traordinarily to education and that i" research proves articles discussed in class $hich $holeheartedly supports technology. -hile it to be a detriment to the human brain $e $ill adapt and evolve to "ind ne$ addressing the counterargument the $ay e1perience changes the brain $ays to e1ercise our minds. %"ter o" speaking $ith -ill ! became curious ho$ my Pinker rebuttals by e1plaining )the e1istence o" neural plasticity does not .;:year old sister $ould "eel about the sub4ect. mean the brain is a blob o" clay pounded into shape by e1perience.+ He "eels ,y sister Rachel is a 4unior in high school and might lack the years o" that the impacts o" electronic media are not nearly as signi"icant as critics e1perience and abundance o" kno$ledge $hich -ill has accrued ho$ever imply noting that distraction is not a ne$ occurrence and cannot be blamed many o" her vie$points matched his. on technology alone. He believes the best solution to be implementing sel": control to resist the temptations $ith our o$n $ill. ! like this point because it strays "rom the typical blame being placed on advertisements social media and digital devices "or our lack o" attention span. !nstead he places the responsibility in our o$n hands. Did anyone "orce us to create a 5acebook account or buy a smart phone2 3ure it is more convenient to keep up $ith modern trends but it is not necessary "or survival. ! appreciate the $ay in $hich he gives us the po$er to e1ercise our minds $ithout allo$ing us to simply blame the internet "or its deteriorating. 5rom my o$n e1perience generational di""erences do impact our e1periences $ith technology but not necessarily our vie$points. The agreements bet$een -ill and Rachel and the universal acceptance o" technology !ve $itnessed in my e1perience at DePaul are indicative o" the modern necessity to $holly embrace technology. The older $oman $ho 4oined me in the library $as also utili8ing technology "or the entirety o" her $ork. Ho$ever ! "eel that she may have been more com"ortable 4oining me because she came "rom a generation $ith much more personal interactions. Thus ! "eel that although my generation bene"its $idely "rom technology $e could take a note on maintaining more personal and social relations $ith one another "rom the older generations. Perhaps ne1t time ! get on the L !ll strike up a conversation $ith the stranger to my side.