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I wonder if we can become even more stupid as time goes by

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  • I wonder if we can become even more stupid as time goes by

    I think it's possible, the question I'm wondering is if it's inevitable. And this all in the context of the internet.

    It was accepted that the internet will bring more equality, as in equal voices that could be heard, ideas that could be shared... and if we look at the environment where the whole computer revolution started, the benefits and dreams of what could be achieved and realized where very much alive.

    But what about today? Technology surely advances all the time, however, that doesn't mean the general population is the one we should thank for it. To me it seems like the internet "crowd" is inherently less intelligent every single year. I'm not talking about Apolyton, just in general.

    Obviously it has to be so, because a lot more people gain the access, so it brings down the quality of overall output. But as more people gain access, the bigger the marketplace is. So this old realization of internet providing the infrastructure and the environment for business forces most of the content providers to come up with entertainment that suits the average user. Of course one of the arguments is to keep the internet free, free of taxing and government control as such (of course it is controlled to some extent and measures can be taken and are taken), however, the business interest and wide access has turned internet into a real marketplace that grows every year.

    My argument is, that as the content is bigger and bigger, the amount of false information is also bigger and it becomes increasingly difficult to find actual good stuff. It is all over the place, but the amount of crap also is taking over. The idea of controlling the topic of the day is currently strong, who ever has the biggest voice is the one who also dictates what the debates are about, what the major issues are etc. And these issues are more and more about popular culture and other flavors of crap.

    I wonder if it is possible that people actually become more stupid as a result, compare this to watching a lot of television, and not just documentaries, just crap entertainment. It can't be argued anymore that if you have access to the internet, you already meet certain level of intelligence. It takes 0 intelligence these days to log on and start producing crap. Absolutely no challenge what so ever. The technological level this world operates on has the capability to take the end user away from thinking. The point is to "push one button" and everything else is hidden from the user, because thinking is not encouraged. It turns away people. They just want to do some things and not fight the evil computer that is mystical.

    So it's not a sign of .... any kind of competence that you are actually roaming around. Of course the idea that it would be a sign of intelligence to begin with is debatable, but it's been used before and I say it matters less and less every single day.

    So the demand of the marketplace will dominate the content and it turns most things into crap as far as people yearning for other kinds of stuff goes, non-entertainment.

    So as time goes by, an irreversible damage is being done and I wonder if the advanced technology we today use are actually making us more dumb in general.
    In da butt.
    "Do not worry if others do not understand you. Instead worry if you do not understand others." - Confucius
    THE UNDEFEATED SUPERCITIZEN w:4 t:2 l:1 (DON'T ASK!)
    "God is dead" - Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" - God.

  • #2
    I believe people can think. Not everybody as well as others, but still. So no, I don't think people are getting or are dumber now than before here on the net. But just as the increasing numbers of casual gamers don't mean gamers are getting dumber, but only that a different segment are getting into the game, I believe the kind of people using the Net and how, is changing and the Net with it.
    Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.-Isaiah 41:10
    I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made - Psalms 139.14a
    Also active on WePlayCiv.

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    • #3
      That's absoteluly not what I meant though
      In da butt.
      "Do not worry if others do not understand you. Instead worry if you do not understand others." - Confucius
      THE UNDEFEATED SUPERCITIZEN w:4 t:2 l:1 (DON'T ASK!)
      "God is dead" - Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" - God.

      Comment


      • #4
        Sorry, that's what my skimming though got me to believe you meant. Then again, your spelling seem to indicate I am not the only one not being 100% sober.
        Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.-Isaiah 41:10
        I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made - Psalms 139.14a
        Also active on WePlayCiv.

        Comment


        • #5
          No, it just means you proved that not all people think.

          In da butt.
          "Do not worry if others do not understand you. Instead worry if you do not understand others." - Confucius
          THE UNDEFEATED SUPERCITIZEN w:4 t:2 l:1 (DON'T ASK!)
          "God is dead" - Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" - God.

          Comment


          • #6
            Umm, Pekka, not all (in fact, the majority) of people don't read your posts.

            That doesn't mean they don't think.

            JM
            Jon Miller-
            I AM.CANADIAN
            GENERATION 35: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.

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            • #7
              Yeah, tldr as usual.

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              • #8
                JM, thanks for those words of wisdom. I will take them to my heart and never forget that not everyone reads my posts.
                In da butt.
                "Do not worry if others do not understand you. Instead worry if you do not understand others." - Confucius
                THE UNDEFEATED SUPERCITIZEN w:4 t:2 l:1 (DON'T ASK!)
                "God is dead" - Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" - God.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Is this 'we' as in all of us or more like a royal 'we'?
                  “As a lifelong member of the Columbia Business School community, I adhere to the principles of truth, integrity, and respect. I will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
                  "Capitalism ho!"

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                  • #10
                    we as in all of us.
                    In da butt.
                    "Do not worry if others do not understand you. Instead worry if you do not understand others." - Confucius
                    THE UNDEFEATED SUPERCITIZEN w:4 t:2 l:1 (DON'T ASK!)
                    "God is dead" - Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" - God.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I don't think saying people will get dumber due to technology is correct, but rather they will become more ignorant or perhaps lazy. I don't know if these are the correct terms to use, so I'll use an example. We are taught addition and subtraction in school without any help but our own brains and most people in school can do addition and subtraction fairly quickly, but after school, we tend to use calculators or computers. We forget our knowledge because it's easier to look it up. I don't think that's getting dumber, we just don't have to learn as much or we don't have to retain our knowledge, so we lose it. Sort of like getting fat from sitting on the couch watching TV too much.
                      EViiiiiiL!!! - Mermaid Man

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                      • #12
                        Shrapnel, that's partially what I suggested. My argument wasn't purely that because of technology, we get dumber. But then you say that we become distant from actually knowing things and how they're done, for exaomple using calculators and computers to do things we could do ourselves. This is what I meant with technology getting more advanced and smart people making this tech so that the end user doesn't have to worry about not being able to use it, because the usability is high and it's made easy, meaning that the actual technical stuff is hidden and the user gets the "one-button-interface".

                        Of course this is preferred, and also the type of skills becomes different. It's good to know how to use the internet efficiently, to search things you really are looking for etc. Why should I know how to do something that I can do with a computer. This is a true statement in a sense and I partially agree with it. These are tools, computer is a tool, use the tool to solve the problem, period. Hey, if it's easier and more efficient, it has to be better, right?

                        But there are trade offs. Like you say, let's get fat adn watch TV sort of thing, and let's not know how to do anything. Let's not use your heads.

                        Ironicalyl enough, Californication just dealt with this same issue in the last episode which I saw after I made this thread. I was thinking "YES, he gets", it and I immidiately fell in love with that guy.

                        And he uses the precise examples I was also using, that the medium is getting larger, but the actual message is getting smaller at the same time.
                        In da butt.
                        "Do not worry if others do not understand you. Instead worry if you do not understand others." - Confucius
                        THE UNDEFEATED SUPERCITIZEN w:4 t:2 l:1 (DON'T ASK!)
                        "God is dead" - Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" - God.

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