“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt,” declares the old adage.
But today’s culture begs to differ.
Social media and the rapid globalization of ideas enhance a societal pressure to constantly pitch in. From the need to post likeable Facebook statuses to the pressure to earn participation points in class to the individual desire to solve global problems, silence and inactivity rarely hold value in today’s noisy world.
In an essay published in the New York Pudding, Marc Dones comments upon this phenomenon.
“The narratives that framed our youth were full of people who were just about to be amazing. Aladdin was about to find a genie; Simba was going to overthrow his evil uncle and be king,” he writes. “When I don’t have a story to tell I begin to feel as if the validity of my existence is being directly challenged.”
Political science freshman AJ Welch-Zaricor commented on the trend of constant storytelling. “I don’t need to know you went to Tempe Marketplace and saw a movie and got dinner,” he said about narrative Facebook statuses. “People post those things just to feel included.”
This social need to “be amazing” — whether via Facebook, Twitter or in person — is often reinforced in the classroom setting, where the distribution of participation points further represents an increasingly participatory culture.
In theory, participation points keep students engaged in class discussions. Required contributions prevent laziness or zoning out; they necessitate action.
However, the contribution requirements do not always enrich the learning experience as intended.
“When we’re required to participate, I feel like I don’t learn. I’m just stuck on what to say right now, instead of how this will affect me in the future,” said Holly Stokes, a film and women and gender studies freshman.
The daunting need to contribute often overshadows the importance of reflection.
Furthermore, a constant need to speak undermines the art of listening. In his book “Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Greg Mortenson shares a lesson from his travels.
“When you take the time to actually listen, with humility, to what people have to say, it's amazing what you can learn,” he writes.
Nonetheless, the Internet receives praise for fostering an increased exchange of ideas. Proponents rave that Facebook enabled revolution in Egypt, that Twitter allows communication against dictators’ wills, that Skype facilitates global cooperation.
And they’re right — idea exchange is undoubtedly constructive. However, the ideas exchanged must be thoughtfully crafted — not haphazardly flung in hopes of impressing someone. Otherwise, contributions end up repetitive and ill-informed.
Contemplation and listening enrich discussion at least as much as contribution does. Constructive dialogue relies upon quality — not quantity.
Rather than succumbing to the societal pressure to constantly weigh in, take a moment to mentally inhale before exhaling yet again.
Reach Alex at algrego1@asu.edu. But think it through first.
