Is Technology Making Us Smarter or Dumber?
There can be no argument in the statement that technology has grown leaps and bounds over the last few decades. We do things today that people in previous generations would not have thought possible. The science and technology of medicine has advanced remarkably. Diseases are being found and cured. We have knowledge, of varying degrees of reliability, at our fingertips twenty-four hours a day. Our children are more comfortable with computers than adults used to be twenty years ago. The question is: Is this easy access to technology making us smarter, or are we getting dumber as we rely on computers to do the thinking for us? There are arguments for both viewpoints. Technology is a great thing, but we need to use common sense in how much we rely on it.
In an article called, “Are We Getting Dumber or Smarter?” by Stephanie Olsen, staff writer for CNET news, she interviews Dr. Mike Merzenich. Dr. Merzenich states, “Over the past 20 years or so, beginning before the Internet really took hold, the standard measure of 'intelligence' (cognitive ability) has risen significantly (well more than 10 points). No one really knows what to pin this on, but it is a well-documented fact” (1). This statement seems to say we are getting smarter, or at least more intelligent. Dr. Merzenich also goes on to describe how intelligence comes about. He says we need three things: genetics, the learning of basic skill, and the “load[ing of] our brains with hundreds of thousands of words and little episodes that we associate with one another in millions or tens of millions of ways” (2). He says the internet is a valuable tool for this. To support this claim, he states, “In my use of the Internet or any other reference source, I do not turn my brain off. I'm gathering information and associating it in my very own computer, right along with my desktop computer and the Internet. If anything, these aids are helping my brain gather more information to get more answers right, and to see more possible associations than would otherwise be the case” (2). The internet is a useful tool to increase our knowledge. A person searching the internet may come across facts and ideas they may never have thought to learn about otherwise.
In an NPR interview, author Steven Johnson also argues that popular culture is raising IQ's. In the interview he gives the example of a few different televisions shows, and how the popular shows on television today are much more complex than the shows shown in previous generations. Johnson says that one of the important changes is in the social network of the television series. Series in the past had fewer main and supporting characters for the viewer to follow. The series today have many main and supporting characters and story lines the viewer must keep track of to understand what is going on. Johnson says this is important. “This is an important part of what it means to be intelligent, your ability to map a social network. When you go in to work and you're keeping track of who's feuding with who and who's making nice with the boss and who's maybe flirting with you a little bit. People who are good at that kind of social network mapping tend to be successful in life” (“Everything Bad is Good For You” 1).
Not everyone is of the opinion that technology is making us more intelligent, however. New York Times journalist Richard Bernstein interviews English professor and author Mark Bauerlein in the article “Don't Trust Anyone Under 30?” Bauerlein is concerned with the upcoming generation, those under age thirty. He says, “We're about to turn our country over to a generation that doesn't read much and doesn't think much either” (1). When you think about this, it seems to be true. More children and teens are spending time texting and social networking on the internet than doing homework or reading books. Bernstein includes statistics in the article to support this. “A survey by the National School Boards Association indicates a very large number of students spending around nine hours a week doing computerized social networking and another 10 hours watching television. Other surveys show a majority of high school students doing an hour or less of written homework a day” (1). These are rather scary statistics and should make people, especially parents, think.
We cannot turn back the hands of time to those days when there were only books to read and time spent playing outside; in fact, we shouldn't want to. Technology is increasing IQ and assisting us in so many different ways. We do, however, need to be cautious. Our brains require more than sitting in front of a computer screen or video game to grow and develop. As far as technology is concerned, the old saying, “moderation in all things,” may be important to remember.
Are We Getting Smarter or Dumber?
Everything Good is Bad for You
Don't Trust Anyone Under 30?
