Thesis
Although the Internet has taught us to be information “hunter-gatherers,” there are certain skills that we have learned that enables a new form of deep reading. It is different than traditional deep reading but there are different ways to enjoy books.
Supporting claims
1. Music – Music (like I said in an earlier project) helps ‘use up’ some of the attention span that we normally like to fill with using the Net. Depending on the song, music can help relax us, and our minds, in order to gain more deep reading ability.
2. Pick up something you want to read – If you pick up something that you enjoy reading, then it will be much easier to absorb. If the information that a person requires is boring then use other resources to find that information (like the Net.) When a person reads unfavorable content, it is much harder to get through. So why read it? Read interesting content and it will be a pleasurable experience.
3. Take breaks – If you are forced to read unfavorable content, then there is no reason to read it all in one shot. Read a chapter or two and walk away from it. The Internet has taught us: when we don’t like something or aren’t engaged by it, leave the page. The same goes for a book, it will get your mind thinking about the content (especially if there is a deadline to finish the book) and you will come back to it with fresh ideas and the patience to get through another chapter or two.
These claims may be subject to editing and changing. (Well that sounded a lot more like the fine print of an advertisement than I intended…)
I’m not sure if I totally understand your thesis. Is is that, The Internet has taught us new ways of “deep” reading? Your claims seem to be the different methods we have learned from the Internet in order to read efficiently. The counter-argument would be: Has the “net” really taught us theses things, or have we already known them. Before the Internet existed, people took reading breaks. And librarians, teachers, and parents have always suggested reading something you enjoy. It’s the same when picking classes. Choose classes you want to attend or subject you want to study. I think it may be hard to argue that the Internet has taught us these things.
Maybe you can argue that, While we might not ever be able to go back to the traditional “deep reading”, we may need to learn a new form of efficient reading. “Deep reading” may now only be reserved for literary scholars.
I’m not really sure of the direction you could take. I think there are many avenues you could explore, and I guess you’ll just have to pick one. Do you know what research you could use to support your claims?
Good Luck!
Just to clear things up, your thesis states that the Internet has taught us skills that have generated a new kind of deep reading, right? Here is my suggestion: clear up your thesis a little bit. At first sight it’s simple but when I thought about it a little longer, I found myself getting a little confused. Maybe you can narrow it down to one concise sentence and you’ll avoid confusing the reader. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know.
The only potential problem I see lies in your second claim. Personally, I think that that one could apply this anywhere in history. It isn’t necessarily something that the Internet taught us to do. No matter how much technology advances, we’re all going to enjoy and focus more on something that we actually want to read. I’m sure even the scholars of the ancient days would agree with this. I could be wrong of course, and this might just be my brainwashed, XYZ generation brain speaking so don’t take me too seriously.
You can counter argue that some people just can’t concentrate with music on. Some people can’t handle outside stimulation and any kind of distraction will stray them away from the task at hand (like myself). You can also counter argue that even though some people pick up something they want to read, they can’t even sit down and read all of that because the Internet has made us hunter gatherers of information and no matter how much we like something, we simply can’t focus for too long.