Tech doesn't dumb us down, it frees our minds

Over the course of human history, writing, printing, computing, and Googling have only made it easier to think and communicate.
(From The New York Times)

The story "Tech doesn't dumb us down, it frees our minds" published September 21, 2008 at 10:29 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[HighwayHome]

It dumbs down those who are brain dead and want to be manipulated. Like me...

[lvcamvn]

Technology gives us more productivity, but also more sources of distracting information.

[Lerianis]

That is about how I would sum it up too: the internet brings it bounds of things that can improve our productivity (Amazon for shopping, Newegg for computer shopping, etc.) but it also bring us things that can waste our time (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).

[cayble]

Like it or not, the internet "generally" hasn't dumbed us down. Its not difficult to understand that pervasive use of the internet is going to start changing thinking, changing the way we do things and hence we are not going to be as good at doing some things as we used to be.

I can guarantee you that within 10 to 15 years after the automobile was invented there were far fewer people who were good at riding, caring for, and breading horses then there were before the automobile was invented. Now, many decades later, horse riding is considered a special skill where in the alternative, everyone is expected to have a drivers licence. The shift doesn't mean we now "generally" travel slower. Travel is just different and its faster.

The big thing is now, the ease of finding alternative view points or outright misinformation. The difficulty, and time consumption involved in the past of researching alternative views or whether you were looking at misinformation was often onerous and in most cases once someone found an answer they liked the ease of just going with what they found was too compelling an option as opposed to looking deeper into their findings.

Now a days the fact is that if you post an opinion online, in any format, where you have taken a position that has relied on misinformation, or where there is significant well reasoned alternative opinion available you had better look into things deeper before you post or you will rapidly have the avalanche of public disgrace fall on your head. Its now far more difficult than it was in the past for the average person to just rely on one simplistic opinion because its so quick, and so easy for so many to point out alternative expert opinion, or to identify debunked misinformation, to point to official reports and studies and to directly like countless thousands to articles that show different findings to those that an online post of any type may be espousing.

In the end, there will always be those that chose to ignore, in a blissful ignorance, the evidence of any information that runs counter to what they want to believe, but a lack of internet would not be likely to change that. The fact is that without the internet they would be probably quite free to wallow in their ignorance without even knowing there were alternative views. But, if there is any hope for the human race one must pray that the world is mostly made up of people who prefer to know the truth, at least more often then not. And because of the internet, and search engines, its now very easy and very quick to find out if you appear to be right, or if you are wrong, or if there are those who agree or disagree with you view. After that, its always your choice to pick whether you prefer to remain ignorant about the knowledge base of a subject, but either way, its going to be far far more difficult to spread the FUD without millions of people at least having the ability, opportunity, and evidence they can point to to show where the FUD is.

The end result is that "generally" we become wiser, not dumbed down. Although there is only so much room in a human brain, and so much time to keep certain skills exercised, so we have to let some skills, in some cases, like horse riding, go away so we can develop the new ones that will not dumb us down, but in fact smarten us up.

[SDX2000]

Well said!

[brightmohan]

You have to let it all go Neo; Fear Doubt and Disbelief! Free your mind.... Free your mind....
Free my mind....!!! Know the truth Always!
I will always love wachowski Brothers for their fantastic work to create "The Matrix"