Reading Response to "The Owl Has Flown"

Recently I wrote an in-class essay focused around the debate of new technology such as Facebook, texting and blogging and whether or not it’s a bad thing that we’re moving away from old methods of communication. I was responding to a Clive Thompson article in which he concluded that technology is in fact helping students write more, and more often than ever before. I agree with him in the sense that young people today are involved in debates and conversations that would never have taken place without online chats and other methods of social networking. However, I did state that with advantages come consequences; as technology develops at an ever-increasing rate we must bear in mind how much is too much. However, I think it is important to preserve some traditional methods that make us stand out from others and what makes us unique.
Referencing “The Owl Has Flown” by Sven Birkerts he addresses the topic of the evolution of reading and how we access and process information. According to Birkerts essay, on page 32 and 33 he writes, “….we direct our energies to managing information. The computer, our high-speed, accessing, storing, and sorting tool, appears as a godsend. It increasingly determines what kind of information we are willing to traffic in; if something cannot be written in code and transmitted, it cannot be important.” The essence of Birkerts argument is that we are allowing technology to determine the value of information and how it is delivered. This backs up my concluding statement that we must pay attention to what we are being told and if the information comes from a reliable source. We must not turn into robots and digest any information that is put in our hands without examination. Throughout Birkerts essay he states that taking time to concentrate and reflect on what we are learning is not the focus of many people’s daily lives. When and if we take the time to read, process and reflect we are more able to understand the content and possibly gain insight and wisdom.