The internet has changed our lives in many ways. We use it for work and in our daily life. While the internet has made us much more productive, some people argue it has also made us smarter. However, I disagree with this position.
Those who believe the internet has made society smart cite several reasons. To begin with, they believe that more access to information means that we know more and this makes us smarter. In addition, through faster communication, we can access information faster, and information is power. Furthermore, through connecting to the world via the internet we have more ideas and opportunities that were unimaginable in the past. All of this leads to smarter, more connected, and more rounded people.
However, I take exception to every one of those points. First of all, access to more information doesn’t make you smarter. Most people rely on the convenience of Google and Wikipedia and as a result, don’t remember information. Innovation and creative thoughts start in the mind, and without this resource, you can’t be creative. What is worse is that now, most communication is now done through short soundbites and messaging apps, we are losing the art of empathy and effective communication, and with sources that are trying to trigger us, like news sites on social media, we as a society are actually regressing in many ways, becoming more tribal and losing skills such as critical thinking, openness, and being accepting of new ideas.
To sum up, the internet has helped society in many ways. However, this does mean we are more intelligent. By outsourcing so much of our lives to the internet, I would argue that we are getting dumber. I hope that in the future, we take more opportunities to unplug and really experience life.
The internet has
changed
our
lives
in
many
ways. We
use
it for work and in our daily life. While the internet has made us much more productive,
some
people
argue it has
also
made us
smarter
.
However
, I disagree with this position.
Those who believe the internet has made society smart cite several reasons. To
begin
with, they believe that more access to
information
means that we know more and this
makes
us
smarter
.
In addition
, through faster communication, we can access
information
faster, and
information
is power.
Furthermore
, through connecting to the world via the internet we have more
ideas
and opportunities that were unimaginable in the past. All of this leads to
smarter
, more connected, and more rounded
people
.
However
, I take exception to every one of those points.
First of all
, access to more
information
doesn’t
make
you
smarter
. Most
people
rely on the convenience of Google and Wikipedia and
as a result
, don’t remember
information
. Innovation and creative thoughts
start
in the mind, and without this resource, you can’t be creative. What is worse is that
now
, most communication is
now
done through short soundbites and messaging apps, we are losing the art of empathy and effective communication, and with sources that are trying to trigger us, like news sites on social media, we as a society are actually regressing in
many
ways, becoming more tribal and losing
skills
such as critical thinking, openness, and being accepting of new
ideas
.
To sum up, the internet has
helped
society in
many
ways.
However
, this does mean we are more intelligent. By outsourcing
so
much of our
lives
to the internet, I would argue that we are getting dumber. I hope that in the future, we take more opportunities to unplug and
really
experience life.