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Rachael Holmes
Professor Alicia Bolton
English 101
March 7, 2012
What happened to our generation?
In “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?” Amy Goldwasser’s main argument is should
teens be on the internet locating educational and social sites, or putting their heads in the books.
Within this article, it describes the different thoughts and surveys regarding this common topic,
and displays the effect the internet has on teens. This article points out very important facts and
opinions especially from the variety of surveys they included in the article. I agree and disagree
with Goldwasser’s claim that teens spend too much time on the internet. I agree because teens do
not get enough educational needs from internet sources I disagree because the internet is just
another method that teens choose in order to learn.
In addition when Doris Lessing presented her speech, she stated, “Young men and
women…have read nothing, knowing only some specialty or other, for instance, computers”
(qtd. in Goldwasser 666). Lessing is basically saying that teens rarely read and get all of their
information from the internet, not taking out enough time to read. How would Lessing know if
kids read or not? She should remember that she lived the same lifestyle as a teenager. I totally
disagree with her statement, mainly because she is only stating her opinion and not looking at
this situation from a teen’s point of view. I think the internet is a fundamental tool which helps
teens gather information at a faster and easier pace. Lessing should remember that she was once
a teen herself and that the internet can become very addictive but helpful. For example, I use the
internet all the time but I use it to socialize with my friends and to look up certain homework

2. assignments for my classes, which is what most teens do. Using the internet also depends on the
mindset of the teen what I mean by that is every teen has an intention for why they want to use
the internet. Not all teens sit in front of a computer and stay on Facebook or Twitter; some teens
use the internet for educational purposes. Prime examples are searching for college applications,
or just to do homework for school like an essay or project. The internet is not all about games,
social websites, and fun; some kids actually want to learn. The internet is a helpful source and
we should be appreciative of it not badgering it.
In addition Goldwasser decides to bring up the older generation and their new ways,
Goldwasser says, “Or is it the older generation that the Internet has seduced” (Goldwasser 667). I
agree with this statement because the older generation is set in their ways, and they believe in
doing things old-fashioned. The fact that they do not know how to work the internet makes them
feel insecure about letting their children use it. Goldwasser states, “Our kids know things we
don’t” (Goldwasser 667). Personally, my mother does not know how to use the internet, and she
was skeptical about getting it for years, until I persuaded her I needed it mainly for educational
reasons. Maybe if the adults knew the exact purpose of the internet, then their opinions regarding
the internet would not be so harsh. Then the internet would not be badgered or considered so bad
for teen’s education. It takes experience to know the value, or purpose of something and if
parents don’t know the value then why would they give the internet a chance? This is exactly
how some adults think and it makes it seem like the internet is useless.
Another reason why I disagree with some of the opinions in this article is because I am a
teenager who uses the internet a lot. Goldwasser states, “One in four teens could not identify
Adolf Hitler’s role in world history ” (Goldwasser 668). Teens can easily research on the internet
about Adolf Hitler and what he did, therefore the internet is really not as bad as adults make it

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seem. Goldwasser also states, “The internet has turned teenagers into honest documentarians of
their own lives” (Goldwasser 667). Teens will remember more from an internet source than they
will from a book in class. Certain information that teenagers take in becomes very progressive in
their minds and results in great future references. Adults today do not realize the good effect the
internet has on teens, they only know what they hear or see from outside sources, prime
examples are these surveys that the article includes in its text.
This is why there should have been a variety of surveys displaying the good effect and
causes of how teens use the internet for educational purposes. Rather than only displaying how
teens make social networks popular and worth a lot of money. An example of this is when
Goldwasser states that, “they essentially made MySpace worth $580 million and Juno an Oscar
winner.”(Goldwasser 668). Adults should also realize that teens are taught differently than they
were years ago, and teens of today learn quicker from the internet than they would from any
other method. Of course a teen will use some of their quality time on Facebook and Twitter but it
doesn’t mean that this is the only thing they will use their time for. The internet helps teens with
educational purposes and helps keep them updated with what is going on in the world today.
Everything we use or have to learn is displayed on the internet. A prime example is how college
students who attend HGTC do most of their homework and quizzes through D2L.
The internet is so important and useful and we should take advantage of it. At the
conclusion of the article Goldwasser states, “Stop presenting it as the enemy of history and
literature…teenagers have the potential to become the next great voices of America.”
(Goldwasser 669). I totally agree with this statement because the internet is a main source that
helps teens learn more about history and events occurring today. I also disagree because being
taught by an instructor will help the teen understand history better than by staring at a computer

4. all day eventually getting bored. The internet is basically just a different method of learning and
it should be viewed as a helpful source rather than a barrier of learning for teens.

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Works Cited
Goldwasser, Amy. “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?”. The Norton Field Guide to Writing
with Readings and Handbook.2nd eds. Richard Bullock, Maureen Daly Goggin, and
Francine Weinberg. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2010.666- 669. Print.