Is the Internet making us stupid?

[Kidlicious]

Re: Re: Is the Internet making us stupid?

Originally posted by OneFootInTheGrave




depends what you compare it to.

in comparison to "watching TV" it's making us smart.

I agree. Anyone who doesn't identify with what media today is doing to them is already stupid. Only stupid people will be interested in this, and it's too late for them.

[Traianvs]

Originally posted by GePap


I do think there is a fundamental difference between taking a long writen thesis (usually in book form) and then spending hours examining it, reading it, mentally arguing with it or absorbing it, and taking something on the internet and spending minutes absorbing it, then deciding whether you agree, disagree, find amusing, so forth, and then moving on, without the piece having much if any long lasting effects.

So, how often do you (or the average human) spend hours on a written thesis? Most of your views or arguments are usually taken from sources that present their facts in a summarized form. You can't read thesises on the hundreds or thousands of subjects you have knowledge about.

You can go ahead reading books and books and books if you want, but it'll be more time consuming for sure.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Traianvs


So, how often do you (or the average human) spend hours on a written thesis? Most of your views or arguments are usually taken from sources that present their facts in a summarized form. You can't read thesises on the hundreds or thousands of subjects you have knowledge about.

You can go ahead reading books and books and books if you want, but it'll be more time consuming for sure.

So what if more time is consumed? What else are you going to be doing??

And no, none of my arguments are based on summarized sources - that is where supporting data for an argument may be found, but there is a fundamental difference between regurgitating data and making an argument.

Knowledge does not equal wisdom, and the internet makes it easy to confuse the two.

Also, no duh that one will spend more time if they seek to come to an undertsnading of something, as opposed to just skimming something and then forgetting about it.

[RGBVideo]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
I read the whole thing. No problem - apart from the fact that it was a badly-written, rambling, tedious reactionary diatribe which sought to prove his point by trying to bore the reader to death.

Feeble people always try to blame whatever they can except themselves for their shortcomings, and this writer was a classic case. He forgets that without the internet, no-one would get anywhere near reading his crap anyway. Once upon a time there was not much new to read every day but the paper, and whatever books were available. Now there is a near-infinity at our fingertips and it's understandable that people are picky about what they devote their attention to.

There were some interesting points, in amongst the drivel, but not new ones. Technologies through the ages have affected our thought and the metaphors we use to try an understand the world and our place in it.

What exposed the author as a complete asshat was the pathetic, paranoid, conspiracy-theorising reference to "the growing power that computer engineers and software coders wield over our intellectual lives". ZOMG teh evil programmers are melting our brains!!!

Tw@t.

Internet is subtly changing our reading culture, but not for the worse direction.