Midterm Short Essay

Complete by: Mon. 10 May, 8pm CDT

In this brief essay, you will historicize an instance of contemporary anxiety about communication technology.

First, you will locate a piece of online or print journalism that describes some technology-related fear or anxiety. I highly recommend outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, Slate, The Verge, or The Outline for good examples of these kinds of pieces. By Tue. 27 Apr., please email me a link or PDF of the article you intend to use. If you need help finding something, don’t hesitate to contact me before then.

In your essay, you will connect this instance of technological anxiety to one of the historical responses to technology that we’ve discussed in class. In what ways are these fears similar or different? How do the two technologies compare to one another? Does the historical anxiety give us a different perspective on contemporary anxieties?

You should cite the article you chose as well as one of our course texts, but you’re not required to bring in additional sources. Remember that I will be available for office hours every Wednesday from 3-5pm and by appointment. Please feel free to use this time to talk over your ideas with me.

Requirements:

• 1000-1500 words (put the final wordcount in your document header)
• double-spaced
• PDF format (you can choose “export as PDF” from Word, Google Docs, or other word processors)
• MLA citations: https://style.mla.org/mla-format/