Online Reading Increases Book Reading

Online reading opens the doors for more readers than ever before. The benefits of digital reading weigh the same as those of reading a more in depth source, like a novel. While reading a book may require the reader to think more deeply about the subject matter and give the reader things that online reading cannot, the benefits of online reading far exceed the cons. While an online reader may not have to think as much about the words on the screen, they are able to access the needed information at a much faster pace and without having to read unnecessary things. Some may argue that people favor online reading for convenience sake and are getting the information that they need without ever gaining knowledge. Just like Lee Siegel said in Against The Machine,"You can possess a lot of information about something without understanding it"(150). But in recent years online reading has sparked a greater interest in reading books. As the graph produced by the National Endowment for the Arts below shows, the percentage of adults reading online is very high. Their study also found that, “For adults who read online articles, essays, or blogs, the book-reading rate is 77 percent” (NEA 8). As the number of adults who read online increases, so does the number of people who are reading books. Therefore online reading not only is beneficial for quick access to information, but it is developing a greater desire for more in depth reading and in turn, more knowledge.

Macfarquhar reading

I posted a comment on CEC's blog post about the article "Who Cares If Johnny Can't Read?"

Comment about Bauerlein

I posted a comment on CEC's blog post"Is Bibliophobia a Social Disease?"

Thyrston's blog

I posted a comment on Thyrston's blog post about academic advisors on college campuses.

Argument Comment

I posted a comment on Meghan's argument about Spring Break. It was a well written argument about why SMU students should not go to Mexico for Spring Break.

Texting Taking Over?

One argument that I hear a lot about and catch a lot of grief for taking part in is the debate of the importance of text messaging to our generation.

I know that if you are like me, sometimes when I’m texting my parents will say something like “Why don’t you just call them?” or “You are going to get carpal tunnel in your thumbs you text so much!” Most of the time I think they are kidding but at one particular family dinner last year my dad actually took my phone from me after I was caught texting under the table.

It’s kind of funny to think about how reliable we are on our cell phones for texting. I send at least a few texts when I wake up, all day during and between classes, plenty throughout work and dinner and I even sleep with my phone in the bed with me. We text while walking, talking to other people, and even when we drive. It's a major way that our generation stays connected.

Older generations claim that texting is impersonal, but is it really? I think that you can still put your personality into a text. Of course it isn’t the same as actually talking face to face or even on the phone, but it most situations I think texting is a valuable resource. Sometimes a situation can be handled much easier with a simple text and sending a text from Mexico is definitely much cheaper than calling. I personally don’t see this age of texting as a problem. Through text messaging we are able to stay better connected with people from everywhere at almost any time. So what if a little personality is lost along the way. For convenience sake, I think text messaging is a wonderful tool in our society.

Greek Life @ SMU

I posted a comment on an interesting post by Meghan on Greek Life