Intro Paragraph

New technologies, such as the Internet and Google, have become a major part of people’s lives. There has been an increase in the dependance on the Internet for new information, social media, and communication. What do you use the Internet for? How has the Internet been beneficial to you? Many people have opposing opinions about how the Internet has shaped and affected human cognitive abilities. The main argument made by Thompson is that the vast increase in public writing inspired by the Internet is an important, new, beneficial change for individuals and for society. People believe that it has profound cognitive, cultural, and political implications. In many ways, the Internet has been advantageous to human thinking and writing abilities. Thompson provides various claims that support this argument such as that the new forms of digital writing significantly improves writing and thinking. The increase in writing due to digital technology helps clarify thinking, generate ideas, and improve memory. The increase also advances democracy and civil society. The new forms of writing expand connections and improve the social networks that support research. Thompson also claims that this new digital medial is creating a golden age for literacy because students are reading and writing more than in the past which results in better writers and improved thinking patterns. Through the analysis of three different works of writing by separate authors, I will determine how the Internet and new digital technologies are affecting human cognition, and I will provide my own personal analysis of the issue.