ENG 101: Prof. Payne's Classes: Essay 3 Topic: Technology

A thesis is a single sentence that summarizes your topic and clearly states your position on it. 

Essay 3: 
Topic: Currently, research into the effects of digital technologies on our society and brains is somewhat contradictory—and the technologies, as well as how we use them, are changing so fast that research can’t keep up. You may focus on a particular device (such as smart phones) or on a particular use of technology (such as social sites), but explain what the concerns are—and why those concerns are important.

You must narrow the topic to a specific thesis: a stand you will take on a debate regarding a problem—or a perceived problem—with our increasingly digitally oriented society. Remember that your thesis is a statement.
            Here are some possible questions to address. You may come up with others on your own.
 
            1)         Is the concern raised equally important to everyone, or is there a particular segment of the population—children, college students, professionals—who are especially affected by the potential concern? Who generally uses the device or medium most—and why? What is gained and what is lost through the use of the device or medium? Even if the evidence seems contradictory, does the evidence so far suggest that one side of the debate has more validity—that more is gained than lost, or vice versa? (In other words, can you take a stand on one side of the debate—and is there sufficient research to support that stance?)
 
            2)         Clearly it is unlikely that the pace of invention is going to slow down. In fact, new technologies and media are being developed at a rapid pace, particularly virtual reality and “augmented” reality delivery systems. Since research into the effects of these new inventions can’t keep up with how quickly the products penetrate our society, are there questions we should be asking along the way? Can we extrapolate from what we know about the way human brains work to predict how our society may be affected by the new inventions? Can we predict whether the effect will be positive or negative—or a combination?