Introduction
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In the wake of World War I, American culture and society radically shifted from a morally restrained Victorian era to a greedy and glamorous Jazz Age. The brutality of war-time conditions caused people to lose faith in a meaningful and ethical future for the country. Rather, divisions between wealthy and the poor intensified leaving the working class to suffer while the newly rich upper class (due to the sudden rise of the stock market) indulged in expensive clothes, fancy alcohols, and decadent parties. The American Dream had unfortunately become a materialistic and impersonal pursuit of happiness.
As a fiction novel, The Great Gatsby, serves as both a record and a critique of 1920s culture. But what if instead of books, flappers and gangsters had had social media accounts in the Jazz Age that we could use to understand the past? Some might argue that is one way future generations will learn about our contemporary culture. For the next few days, we are going to be using The Great Gatsby as a guide to examine the 1920's real-world reckless abandon and present it through a modern lens.
Before you begin, read the opinion article below about three different ways social media is currently impacting today's society: Good, Bad, and Ugly. Do you agree with this article? Maybe some parts more than others? Take 5 minutes to jot down a few ideas in your notebook.
Consider how F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters in The Great Gatsby, and the novel itself might have fallen under one of these 3 societal impacts if they were publicized via social media accounts. Perhaps we should find out... Click "Your Task" to see your Webquest tasks for over the next 3 days.
As a fiction novel, The Great Gatsby, serves as both a record and a critique of 1920s culture. But what if instead of books, flappers and gangsters had had social media accounts in the Jazz Age that we could use to understand the past? Some might argue that is one way future generations will learn about our contemporary culture. For the next few days, we are going to be using The Great Gatsby as a guide to examine the 1920's real-world reckless abandon and present it through a modern lens.
Before you begin, read the opinion article below about three different ways social media is currently impacting today's society: Good, Bad, and Ugly. Do you agree with this article? Maybe some parts more than others? Take 5 minutes to jot down a few ideas in your notebook.
Consider how F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters in The Great Gatsby, and the novel itself might have fallen under one of these 3 societal impacts if they were publicized via social media accounts. Perhaps we should find out... Click "Your Task" to see your Webquest tasks for over the next 3 days.