"Public Thinking" Essay

Advancements in technology have been a great addition to the lives of many people. On the other hand many people believe that due to all of this new technology, our culture is not the same as it was a couple of decades ago. Clive Thompson, who is the author of “Public Thinking”, looks at the advantages and disadvantages that advancements in technology has brought this generation to determine whether it is actually beneficial to us or not. Thompson is a renowned technology writer and a freelance contributor for newspapers such as The New York Times along with The Washington Post. He studied in order to determine how the Internet has had a positive impact on our lives. Even though many people believe that all of these new technologies are not doing any good to our society, Thompson writes in order to persuade the audience to believe that the Internet and other technological advancements can actually help us to become better writers and thinkers. In this paper I will explore Thompson’s main claims and the evidence he provides us with some of which include expert testimony, examples, and studies to establish a strong sense of ethos and logos and to show how technology is actually a great tool in allowing us to become better thinkers and writers. 

One of Thompson’s main claims is that an audience can have a huge impact on a writer. According to Thompson, things such as a post on Tumblr, Facebook or even a text message all involve writing for an audience which inadvertently improves the way we write, known as the “audience effect”. A study done by Stanford Professor Andrea Lunsford shows that back then most of the essays that were written by college freshmen were typically shorter than those of college freshmen now. In 2001, she began her study and convinced 189 of her students to give her copies of everything they had written all year. Five years later she had about fifteen thousand pieces of writing in all types of formats such as posts on blogs, text messages, emails, and many more (Smarter Than You Think 67). This is due to the fact that now people have access to social media and other forms of communication which they did not have back them, restraining the older generations to practice their writing as much as the newer generations do. Referring to the study done by Professor Lunsford, Thompson himself writes, “Because they [students] were often writing for other people…they were adept at reading the tempo of a thread, adapting their writing to people’s reactions” (Smarter Thank You Think 67). In other words, Thompson believes that if a person knows that whatever they are writing is going to be seen by either one person or a large group of people they will tend to be more careful about what they write and how they present their text. He organizes his evidence in a way that establishes a strong sense of ethos. Because Thompson uses the study done by a professor from a university as prestigious as Stanford to support his claim, it makes his overall argument a concrete one. 

Moreover, another claim that Thompson argues is that writing can help clarify our thinking. He states, “ Professional writers have long described the way that the act of writing forces them to distill their vague notions into clear ideas…This is why writers often find that it’s only when they start writing that they figure out what they want to say”(Smarter Than You Think 51). Thompson observes that when a person writes out what they are thinking onto a paper it helps them simplify the point that they are trying to get someone else to understand. As support for his argument Thompson mentions Cecil Day-Lewis, a poet, who said “I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind…If it were clear in my mind, I should shave no incentive or need to write about it…”(Smarter Than You Think 51). In other words, Cecil Day-Lewis helps support Thompson’s claim because like many he also writes “in order to understand not to be understood” (Smarter Than You Think 51), even though he is well-known writer. This claim that Thompson makes is very effective because it is very relatable. Many people who sit down to write something struggle with developing their thoughts and when they start to actually write it down it makes it easier for them to get their point across. Using Cecil Day-Lewis, a person whom has been known to write at an exceptional level, as an example worked as a great strategy in Thompson’s favor, it helps him creative a sort of logical appeal to the audience making him seem more credible. 

Another significant factor in the way the Internet has contributed in a positive manner to our society is because it allows us to make easier connections. According to Thompson, having the Internet allows people to be able communicate with one another in a simpler manner and it is easier for people to share their ideas now than it was back then. Having the internet allows people with the same ideas to come together and share their knowledge with one another, also known as the “theory of multiples”. Back then people did not have the Internet to quickly share their ideas so many times two people would  discover something simultaneously and never know that another person had also discovered the same thing. As an example Thompson uses the story of Ernest Duchesne who was the original discoverer of penicillin. He noticed that the stable boys would store saddles in a damp, dark room so that mold would heal the horses’ saddle sores. Intrigued, Duchesne decided to conduct an experiment on sick guinea pigs and treated them with a solution made from mold (penicillin) and found that they recovered completely. He then wrote up his findings in a PhD thesis but was ignored by the French Institut Pasteur because he was only twenty-three (Smarter Than You Think 60-61). Fifteen years later he died and his research disappeared and it took thirty-two years for, “… Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming to rediscover penicillin, independently with no idea that Duchesne had already done it” (Smarter Than You Think 61). Back then people did have the ability to communicate with one another but not as easily as we do now. If there was such thing as the internet at the time when Duchesne discovered penicillin, himself and Fleming could have worked together in figuring out how to make this medicine available to large groups of people and more effective. In other words advancements in technology, which birthed the Internet, allows for people to write more and in a more effective manner bringing together the ideas of many and resolving multiples. Thompson uses this historical example in his favor because it is full of facts which establishes logos in his argument making it more believable.

All in all, are the advancements in technology actually helping our society become better thinkers and writers, or is it doing the complete opposite? Thompson insist that the Internet has proven to be very beneficial in changing the way people write for the better. This is because of the effect of having an audience has on people, it helps clarify our thinking, and it encourages public thinking which makes people write more. One way Thompson could have made his argument stronger is by using studies which are more relatable to the common person, such as when he mentioned the study that Professor Lunsford did on her students at Stanford. Questions can be raised on whether or not students from Stanford are an equal representation of all students, because it is such a prestigious school. He could have used a different study that can relate to a broader audience and not just those students who attend such illustrious schools.  Other than that using all of these examples along with concrete evidence, Thompson does a great job in making the reader truly believe all of his points that he makes.