shelbinator.com

If you’re under 30 and plugged into the social web, chances are you’re an idiot, according to a book by Emory Professor Mark Bauerlein. I’m inclined to entertain his thesis, although that’s mostly because I’m not under 30 and I’m kind of a crotchety old goat when it comes to nay-saying the youths. If you can’t laugh at yourself, the saying goes, make fun of other people.

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I’ve also been a teaching assistant for way too long now, and I can’t say the quality of homework I see do anything to cast doubt on Bauerlein’s book, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30). Doing research these days doesn’t seem to stretch far beyond Google and Wikipedia, and God forbid anyone consult a dictionary or Warriner’s English Grammar & Composition when you have MS Word there to spell-check for you.

Bauerlein argues that while today’s American youth have more disposable income and more educational opportunities — and most importantly, more computational firepower at their fingertips that could be used productively — the techno-tools of the twenty-first century are instead being used to prolong and amplify the adolescent phase of life. Back in the days when teenagers at home were only connected to the outside world (and their adolescent peers) by “what is now known as a ‘land line,’” he reminisced, they were forced for a few hours a day to relate to adults (their parents), and perhaps even pick up a book for diversion. Teens born to the internet era are constantly plugged into the social web and relating to other teens almost 24 hours a day, and while it is the duty of all teens to resent quality time with their parents and other grown-ups, it is nevertheless a vital developmental process.

It is also the time-honored tradition of each generation to chastise the generation below it for straying from the status quo, Bauerlein concedes, but this holier-than-thou attitude is an important part of how we pass on our cultural heritage. And because of the pervasive influence of information technology on today’s youth, this somewhat condescending advice from old to young is more important than ever. Overloaded young people are under constant pressure to “check in” with their friends and maintain their social networks, and thus for some reason feel constantly rushed and busy even though studies show TV-watching time is on the rise. (I have no idea what he’s talking about here. *ahem*) And even though the internet can connect people all over the world for potentially limitless learning experiences and discussions, studies also show that knowledge levels in basic elements of our culture — fine arts, civics, current events, history, etc. — are on the decline.

In short, if you don’t wanna grow up, the internet says you don’t have to.

It’s an interesting argument, and I’d probably really enjoy reading it. You know, if I read books.