In the preface of her 2015 book Mind Change, Susan Greenfield states that the purpose of her book is “to explore the different ways in which digital technologies could be affecting not just thinking patterns and other cognitive skills but also lifestyle, culture and personal aspirations” (xvi). In this project, you will consider the impact of social media on people’s sense of self OR connection to others. You may focus your main argument on the implications of constructing a social media “self” (or selves) OR on the connections between social media use and feelings of connection (or lack of) to others.You will determine your position and develop your main argument by including claims of your own and claims from class sources. Your evidence will support the claims. You will be integrating your ideas (and possibly your experience) with others’ when you make multiple references (in multiple paragraphs) to two sources. You are required to use either boyd, Greenfield, or Twenge as one main source; your second source should be one that offers an alternative view to the first source (naysayer) or that complicates to allow new connections.
Main Sources
- “Identity: Why Do Teens Seem Strange Online?” (chap. 1) by danah boyd
- Excerpt “Social Networking and Identity” (chap. 10) by Susan Greenfield
- “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?” by Jean Twenge
Other Possible Source
- “Connected, but Alone” TED Talk by Sherry Turkle
Resources
- Little Seagull for guidance on MLA format and other style issues
Due Dates and Expectations
- First draft with integration of two sources (3 pages + 1 page works cited) due October 24 (Google Docs)
- Self-edit revision activity and peer review #1 completed in class on October 24; peer review #2 due Saturday, October 26 by noon
- Final draft October 31 (Google Docs and comparison of versions document)
- Final draft should be in MLA format (see Little Seagull for sample) and should be 1200 words (about 5-6 pages), including a works cited page.
