Jour.4460 Blog #11-Is the Internet making society dumber or smarter?

I always hear people saying that technology is only making our generation lazier and less educated and in some cases, this may be true. According to a recent article on prdaily, there is a possibility the Internet could be damaging our brains. As a society, we are beginning to rely heavily on the use of the Internet for our everyday use. The answer to almost anything can be found online now a days. From searching the name of an artist to finding the answer to a problem, search engines have become an essential tool for Internet users.  

Like I said before, there are just some things that don’t stick with our brains very well, “but thankfully, the answers are a mere Google search away. Not so thankfully, Google Search is corroding our brains” (Pearcy).  I know I’m guilty of doing this as well. If I want to know something quick, I go directly to Google. It’s a sad fact and a lot of people don’t like to admit it, but we really are starting to let technology do the thinking for us.

I feel like the more things people are able to do online make it easier for the Internet to be used all the time. The tasks that people could once be able to do through personal interaction, such as banking, shopping, or communication, can now be done online with the simple click of a button. Doing it online is just more convenient for people rather than having to go out in public to do it.  This goes back to the idea of people becoming lazier with the Internet.

So why is that we spend the majority of our free time on the Internet? Well it’s not like it’s easy to avoid. We have access to it everywhere, on our phones, at our homes, and at the workplace. Although some might say that the use of the Internet is making society dumber, others say it’s actually making us smarter. A recent study done by Columbia University stated, “the IQ of the human race is actually increasing over time. We’re getting smarter despite the less-than-learned distractions of MTV, video games, Twitter, Facebook, and Googling everything from where to eat to who was the 1979 American League batting champion” (Fred Lynn).

So whether the Internet is making society dumber or smarter, one thing is for sure, it’s definitely taking over the way people do things.  In my own opinion, if we continue to constantly depend on the Internet the way we do now, people’s thinking in the near future will consist of none of their own original thoughts.

Sources:

http://prdaily.com/Main/Articles/11311.aspx

http://inesgoestolondon.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/internet.jpg