Research Proposal

The research topic I plan to address deals with the factors that affect creativity, or the ability to generate novel ideas, in the digital age. That is, in a society dominated by technology, how are individuals affected in their ability to express themselves creatively? This topic builds off of the ongoing debate between techno-pessimists and optimists on whether or not commodities such as iPhones, the Internet, or even electronic toys actually benefit their users by promoting creative talent or negatively stunt their mental development by not being stimulating or engaging enough. Especially in universities and high schools, administrations have jumped on the electronic bandwagon spending exorbitant amounts of money computerizing education to keep up with society, but is this really beneficial to the growth of students? Thus, my research paper aims to help relieve this controversy, asking the question: to what extent does technology affect the development of creativity through how people think and act? Furthermore, should the use of technology be balanced, or should there be a limit to how much society depends on it?

Specifically, these questions deal the use of technology for educational purposes, not just in schools, but in everyday life. Because this dependence on technology in high-income nations like the United States is so prevalent, it is natural to assume that it plays a large role in influencing its users. Some conclude that technology, when used appropriately, serves only to facilitate the development of creativity in humans. However, this paper aims to argue against that notion, hypothesizing that technology actually limits creativity through how people think and act. The current generation of American millennials is often criticized for a general deficit in literacy, practical math, and problem solving skills when compared to previous generations. In an interconnected age when the all of world’s information is easily accessible by the majority, a large population lack problem solving skills and creativity thought present by their predecessors, and I plan to argue that the presence of technology may play a significant role in this decline in proficiency. As I continue to research, however, I may be inclined to adjust the position of this paper because this side that supports technological education also has strong arguments.  

First I will address the idea of “iPod experiment” that Cathy Davidson, an advocate for educational reform through technology, uses in her essay “Project Classroom Makeover” to set the stage of how one might think that technology allows for a free flow of creativity in an educational setting; from this I will compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in classrooms. Using the paper, “How Brain Research Relates to Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships” by Willard Daggett and Paul Nussbaum, I plan to analyze the necessary ingredients for stimulating creativity in the brain and to see if technology meets those requirements. I also plan to look into the history of technological use in education to determine if there is any correlation between the rise of technology and the decrease in American literacy and numeracy, using a book written by Larry Cuban, called Teachers and Machines.

Then, I will set up a contrast using Sherry Turkle’s “Selections from Alone Together” and Tim Wu’s “Father and Son”. Unlike Davidson’s enthusiasm for the implementation of technology, both Turkle and Wu caution that this process should be tread lightly; both indicate that from a technological standpoint, privileging creativity is often met with difficult obstacles. I will use Turkle’s book, The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit, rather than just the selection because it dives deeper into her philosophy that technology catalyzes how humans think. Wu, in particular, brings up an interesting point that technology arises from a need for convenience. As can be seen in the net-neutrality debate, people often strive for values such as freedom and creativity, but at the same time, most are willing to give those up for the sake of convenience and reliability. In another context, technology is certainly convenient, but perhaps that convenience raises barriers in mental proficiency.