So the prompt’s main demand was to either argue for or against the benefits of a digitally distracting world. Basically what I did after reading the prompt for the first time was reread both Richard Restak’s “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era” and Sam Anderson’s “In Defense of Distraction” and I highlighted the “benefits” brought up in both papers. I wrote down questions that came up when making connections and those can later become talking points in my paper. In some instances I found myself writing down my own opinion within the brainstorm which I allowed because I didn’t want to interrupt my stream of thoughts.
I plan on arguing that most of the benefits come at too high of a cost for the benefit to be meaningful enough in the long run. Both of the new sources do overlap each other’s points so not only am I able to make connections, but I am provided with two different perspectives on the same point so I can compare and contrast.
Hi Alexander, your brainstorming session seems to have produced a lot of good ideas! One of the only suggestions I can make (which is one that Professor Emerson also suggested to me) is to be sure to focus on how the this “changing technology” and constant wealth of information will affect young adults specifically. I really liked your use of arrows to show how the ideas flow together and are related. I also liked how you let your opinions show through in your brainstorming session, as those opinions will certainly help to bring out your voice in your essay.