Your Homework Assignment

The Internet has changed our lives in countless ways in the past 30 years. It makes it possible to work from home, shop online, stream videos, research and share information, take classes online, and communicate with friends and family at a distance. It can foster creativity and expand our horizons. Yet it has undoubtedly introduced new problems with misinformation and disinformation, political polarization, and internet addiction. Artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new risks. Take a stand on the question: Is the Internet making our lives better or worse? 

Support your argument with at least two of the readings from Weeks 1 and 2. You might, for example, compare Goldsmith and Carr on whether the Internet is making us shallow OR compare Goldsmith and Rosen on limiting adolescents’ access to social media.

In your @ss@y, address the following questions:

1. What are the authors’ perspectives on the impact of the Internet, especially social media today? What is your stance on the issues they present?
2. Which aspects of their articles agree with each other? Which differ and how are the differences significant in providing a broader understanding of the issue? 
3. Identify two or three key points the authors make that jumped out at you. Include one quotation from each article and explain why it speaks to your understanding and perspective on the issues the authors raise.
4. What are some aspects the authors have not considered? Explain why this is an important consideration for a deeper understanding of the argument.
5. Why is this issue important for your reader to consider? What recommendations do you have to address these concerns? What changes do we need to make on an individual level? On a corporate level? Do we need to create more regulations (e.g., limit access to cellphones in school, protect the privacy of information online, limit hate speech and misinformation online)?

Your @ss@y should include a thesis statement, several body paragraphs that develop each of your points, and a strong conclusion with recommendations. Provide evidence from the readings to support your claims, including direct quotations from the text. You do not need to provide outside sources for this @ss@y.

Follow the standards of academic writing and MLA format detailed in They Say/I Say (Chapter 9) and The Little Seagull Handbook (W-2)