Intarwebs changes our minds

I was reading the most recent edition of Wired Magazine that landed on my doorstep this week.  There’s an interesting piece written by Clive Thompson using research from the Stanford Study of Writing organized by Professor Andrea Lunsford.

The argument is that we write more than we ever have despite as critics bemoaning that the the internet ruins students’ writing skills.  We’re probably vastly different (and more participatory) writers than humans have ever been.

Old-school reference material

That got me thinking. What else does the intarwebs change about us? I’ve noticed that people in my program at school who are also working in jobs where they are online the most are also the people who are most likely to cite internet sources, or cite sources at all.  Does the internet make us better referencers? Are we all becoming librarians of a type?

And what about kids with mobile phones that access the internet? Are they more social than we’ve ever been? Teens have always been highly social animals, but the opportunity for constant connectivity wasn’t there before; at some point you had to go home and try to sneak privileges to the corded phone. No longer. In another Wired story (apparently my source of choice today!), it’s explained that texting in the company of others isn’t rude – “texting those who couldn’t be there lets everyone feel they’re part of a larger social network.” This was according to research by Mimi Ito, a well-recognized researcher in the electronic culture of Japanese teens.

Another point made by Ito, this one to the New York Times, is that this persistent use of social technologies is not (as many adults would see it) a waste of time, but rather training for the future digital literacy that we’ll all need to get through our lives.  Ito’s point reflects much of what Henry Jenkins argues in his book ‘Convergence Culture’.  All of these new toys and games are really a practice grounds for generative tools that will become part of our social and economic fabric – it’s just that in human culture, those things that become important innovations often start as ‘novelties,’ widely seen as objects of fun or play but not ’serious’ value.

So the next time I walk around quoting websites like a librarian quotes books – you’ll know why.  My brains are being changed by the intarwebs!

Get Schooled…

I was reading an article in the new edition of AdWeek Magazine, “Investing in Talent is as Vital as Ever.”  The gist of the article is that agencies are maintaining and even increasing the size of their training efforts to make the most of the talent within their walls.

I couldn’t agree more — and would council anyone looking for a new job to also consider the training and continuing education opportunities a company offers.   From personal experience, I’m far happier (and more productive) when I feel I’m learning new things and challenging myself in new ways, either through my work or through education.

Learning new skills and information is muy importante.  What’s more fantastic is that learning often helps you open your mind; a skill that is so incredibly necessary for the sort of creative industry that communications (and PR more specifically) is.  You’ve got to be able to solve problems and see opportunities within specific framework.  What better way than to be challenged by a non-client related problem?  It helps you practice, but also gives you a sort of related-mental-break that could trigger a wave of new ideas later.

I’m not even making this up!  “It is the acquisition of expert knowledge that brings adults to higher levels of creative thinking.”  This is according to an article by Sandra Kerka “Creativity in Adulthood” from ERIC Digest No. 204.

Moral:  Have fun and keep learning.