Selfe - Article Summary

In Cynthia Selfe's 1999 CCC article "The Perils of Not Paying Attention," Selfe argues the importance of the link between literacy and technology, exploring how and why this link is so important. Beginning with a short example of her fellow colleges, Selfe observes how little they seem to care about the growing threat, explaining that most educators find technology to be either "boring or frighting" (Selfe, 412). Relentlessly, she treks through powerful and, at the time, shocking statistics about the link between technology, literacy, and jobs, as well as the role of the government. Ultimately, Selfe expresses her belief that technology and literacy are one and the same; there can't be success in one without the equal success of the other, and emphasizes the significance of not ignoring the technological revolution.