Third Homework Assignment

When Rosen states "every technology is both an expression of a culture and a potential reformer of it." She is saying that our technology defines and molds our society at any particular time. I would have to agree with her statement. In “People Of The Screen”, Rosen makes it clear that our society is “increasingly distractible, impatient, and convenience-obsessed” (Rosen 21). In our time and age people want things at the snap of their fingers and are becoming increasingly annoyed with any inconvenience. E-books are becoming so popular just for this reason. Everything can be done with just the tip of your finger. Just because the e-books are convenient doesn’t mean every change they’re making to our society is benefiting us. I completely agree with Rosen that these new technologies are making us very distracted. Whenever I’m reading anything on a computer it is very challenging to just stay focused and not wander on to the Internet. Another point Rosen makes is that people want to be in control. The huge boom in gaming clearly shows this. Our society would much rather play a game were you have control of the outcome instead of read a book where you really have no control of what’s happening. Daley and Rosen could probably agree on certain viewpoints but I think their final decisions on digital screens and books are very different. Daley’s viewpoint becomes clear when she states “those who are truly literate in the twenty-first century will be those who learn to both read and write the multimedia language of the screen” (Daley 37). This statement implies that screens are the only viable option in our generation. Rosen would agree that these new technologies can be very helpful and convenient but at the end of the day nothing can compare to an old fashioned book. 

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