- Posted by maedstudent on March 27, 2008
Is the Internet making us dumber?
In the world today the Internet is a very integral part of our lives and I think that many people have grownup thinking that all information on the Internet is accurate and correct. I admit I too have fallen into that category a time or two. I am a huge Wikipedia fan, and did not know until about a year ago that anyone can update the Wiki database without proving the findings and this is somewhat bothersome. Nowadays, it seems like if someone wants to find out something he or she will consult the Internet. Good ol’ Google or Yahoo. Google is my favorite. I think that since information is such readily available we as learners do not process the information in our long-term memory storage bank thereby, finding out information and then moving onto something else. You have to admit this is a faster paced society now, and the Internet is a huge crutch that many of us----writer included rely on for help, comfort and joy. The Internet does not judge. The Internet is fun and has informative games and allows Johnny to talk to Grammy across the country with a web camera. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying by any means, that the Internet is a bad thing. Rather, I think that we as learners just need to slow things down and give our brains a chance to catch up and retain the information that is learned or researched.
As little as ten years ago if we as learners wanted information about a topic for the most part, Dewey decimal was our friend and we would have to look things up slowly at the library using the card catalog, and not so much the computer. The evolution of the Internet has taken off dramatically over the last ten years.
Next time you sit down and read headlines on the Internet do yourself a favor and slow down. This multi-tasking world is turning our brains to mush.