Whats the Matter with Kids Today?

In the article “what’s the Matter with kids today?” Amy Goldwasser discusses the issues this generation of kids. Goldwasser makes some logical arguments of the benefits of technology in the lives of kids. She touches on the emotional aspect of kids and how social technology plays a part in their lives. Goldwasser started her article talking about some studies and quotes on some of the problems with this generation’s children. She also talks a bit about the fact that this is the first generation in human history to grow up with technology. Goldwasser starts her article by talking about a multiple choice survey for teens conducted by the Common Core organization, it stated that young people are living in ignorance of history and literature and that kids know that dates and historic names will always be available on the internet. Goldwasser appears to know teens very well and understands their lifestyle. She does not seem to be against the internet use by the American teenager. We can conclude that she is familiar with the internet and does not see it as a corrupting force and perhaps Goldwasser is probably familiar with teens, maybe she has some teenage children of her own, or at least writing for teens. Goldwasser may believe that teens should be defended from the implications of society. Goldwasser does not seem to view the internet, as good or evil but simply a means of communication that so many teens these days use to express themselves. This idea definitely solidifies that Goldwasser has some knowledge and experience with the internet and teenagers. Goldwasser continues to state that this is the first generation to have grown up with this particular technology and as a result of this new technology; it has made the generation improve with their writing skills. As Goldwasser states “we’re talking about 33 million Americans who are fluent in texting, e-mailing, blogging, IM’ing and constantly amending their profiles on social networking sites which on average, 30 of their friends will visit every day.” She also states that “They’re connected, they’re collaborative, they’re used to writing about themselves”. She believes that parents and teachers should not frown upon something that is helping kids learn how to express themselves. Goldwasser believes that older individuals dislike the new technology because it is something foreign to them. She brings up this point by stating “when the world worked in hard copy, no parent or teacher ever begrudged teenagers who disappeared into their rooms to write letters to friends---or a movie review, or an editorial for the school paper on the first president they’ll vote for”. Her main point is that we shouldn’t have this stigma against the internet/social networking just because it is something new and unfamiliar. The article also discuss that even though some learning and communicating methods have evolved, kids today are still familiar with classical pieces of literature. The 97% of kids who took the Common Core survey showed them being familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and 80% knew the summary of “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Goldwasser believes that this information is very encouraging and it shouldn’t matter that their knowledge came from the internet or another new technology source. Goldwasser also does an effective job at appealing to the reader’s logic, pointing out that the internet has not really changed kids but shifted their focus away from memorization, and more towards concepts. She believes this movement is the cause of much of the criticism leveled at teenagers by older generations because they expect their kids to know the information that they are looking for off the top of their head. As the author herself puts it, “twenty plus years ago high school students didn’t have the internet to store their trivia. Now they know that the specific details will always be there they can free their brains to go a little deeper into the concepts instead of the copyrights.” Her point is that we all use the internet to store the knowledge that we can’t store in our brains. And why Goldwasser does point out the disturbing fact that only one in four teens knew what Hitler’s role in society was, however, she still maintains that it is not the internet 's fault and that if parents or teachers had only asked their children to research these things on the internet than they would be better aware of history, because the internet has plenty of information about history that is easily accessible to all. “If we work with, rather than against, the way this generation voluntarily takes in information—we might not be able up the phone and expose tragic pockets of ignorance.”(Goldwasser) She believes that we should help guide children in the right path and not force older mediums down there throat.

Perhaps her most important point that best sums up her view as well as the emotion and logic of the argument is that kids read and write for fun, and that the internet is a part of their lives. Goldwasser says, “We need to start celebrating this unprecedented surge, incorporating it as an educational tool instead of meeting it with pop quizzes and suspicions… once we stop regarding the internet as a villain, stop presenting it as the enemy of history and literature and worldly knowledge, than our teenagers have the potential to become the next great voices of America.” That is the defining basis of Goldwasser entire article that teens aren’t being destroyed by the internet, there focus has simply shifted away from memorization and more on concepts. It is something that should be accepted and used as a tool to help kids rather than demonizing it. And if that happens than they will end up learning what they need to know to succeed, even if it is not how their parents learned it.

Work Cited
Goldwasser, Amy. "What’s the Matter with Kids Today?" They Say, I Say the Moves that matter in academic writing, with readings." By Gerald Graff

Cited: Goldwasser, Amy. "What’s the Matter with Kids Today?" They Say, I Say the Moves that matter in academic writing, with readings." By Gerald Graff