Our contemporary way of life necessitates a constant reliance on the Internet for our information needs. A limitless amount of knowledge may be found on the Internet since it gives an avenue for study and the ability to dive further into issues. It’s important to consider the long-term effects of our growing reliance on technology like the Internet. Does the Internet have an impact on our collective intelligence as a whole? Our capacity to critically examine and reflect on issues is being harmed by the ease of getting information on the Internet. As the Internet grows more and more interwoven in our daily lives, it becomes more difficult for us to tell the difference between truth and fiction. We’re losing our capacity to be interested in the world around us because of the way we’re utilizing the Internet nowadays.
Our culture can’t deny that the Internet has a significant positive impact on our daily lives. There is a wealth of knowledge available to us via the Internet, which allows us to get answers to our many questions in a matter of seconds. Increasing our capacity for exploration and innovation is one of the primary goals of using the Internet. Students have more access to information that instructors don’t have, and professors can learn from students in a classroom situation because of the Internet. When it comes to developing and providing items and services, it aids us much. It is clear that the Internet has a significant influence on our culture, with “1.8 billion users globally.” Despite these advantages, it has been proved that our ability to think creatively and critically is dwindling as we become more reliant on the Internet daily. (Green, 17)
Compared to previous generations, our generation’s capacity for critical thinking is deteriorating. The Internet makes it easy to get answers to issues and to rely on the information that others provide rather than doing our research and critical thinking. According to a well-known internet critic, Nicholas Carr, we may be losing our ability to think critically and creatively because of our dependence on the Internet for information. In the electronic jungle, we’re becoming more like scavengers than growers of personal knowledge.” Dazzled by the riches of the Internet, we fail to see the dangers to our intellectual well-being and even our society that we may be unwittingly causing (Carr,14 ). Carr shows how fact-finding and reporting have taken a more systematic approach using the Internet as an example. To the detriment of our creativity, we are more reliant on the opinions of others. This has had a devastating effect on educational institutions all around the globe. According to critic Ingram Neil, the Internet has made us “insular,” “unadventurous,” and “less interested” due to its influence on society. (Neil). Because of this predisposition toward nave thinking and the way it spreads through everyday internet usage cannot be advantageous to our ability to reason.
According to research, short-term attention spans and disorganized thinking are some of the systemic consequences of frequent internet use. To keep up with the nonstop barrage of information that comes our way while we work online, our brains have to work overtime. Distractions when searching for information might be caused by several links on one page, sidebar adverts that flash, online sites that include seductive images, and other things. Reduced attention spans cause additional serious cognitive issues due to constant exposure to these distracting stimuli and the overpowering quantity of information available to us. Our brains can’t create strong, broad synaptic connections when we’re online because we’re constantly interrupted and distracted. At a dizzying pace, short-term memory is being bombarded with disconnected fragments of information.” Carr shows how the Internet’s complexity and breadth reduce our ability to concentrate, resulting in scattered thinking. So our capacity to absorb and understand the information we get from online sources is substantially compromised.
A person’s brain may be molded. Synaptic and neuronal connections may be restructured to incorporate knowledge over time effectively. Internet users’ brains seem to be progressively reorganizing with these unique neural connections due to their regular usage of the Internet (Ciarcia, 17). It is natural for the brain to change attention when confronted with so many distractions and complexity daily on the Internet. With so much information coming at it, the brain needs a shorter attention span to keep up with all of it. Short attention spans might lead to more serious health issues if they aren’t dealt with early.
In today’s world, the Internet is a vital component of daily life, and that trend will only increase. Consequently, it is vital to know the best ways of using and benefiting from the Internet to increase our brains and smarts. The best course of action is to limit our online time. Use the Internet as a tool and a resource when you have no other option to get the data you need for a response or explanation. We should not rely only on other people’s ideas, solutions, and efforts without first coming up with our own. The Internet should be utilized largely to support our opinions with facts and figures. Using the Internet before coming up with our ideas and thoughts destroys our ability to think critically and be innovative. Reducing the amount of time spent online can also help us avoid having short attention spans and other problems that the Internet can bring to light in our society.
We can learn more, be more productive, discover new things, and develop new ideas if we responsibly use the Internet. As long as we utilize the Internet in a responsible manner, we may considerably boost our curiosity and thinking abilities. It might lead to new avenues of study and help our civilization become more productive and efficient. However, just because something is quicker does not mean it is better. We don’t want to compromise our ability to think critically and creatively to get a little boost in productivity. One of our most prized commodities is our ability to reason logically; therefore, we should devote as much effort as possible to protecting it.
Works Cited
Carr, Nicholas. “Does the internet make you dumber.” Wall Street Journal 5.10 (2010).
Ciarcia, Steve. “PRIORITY INTERRUPT Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Dumber?.” Circuit Cellar-The Magazine For Computer Applications 241 (2010): 80.
Green, Douglas W., and Thomas O’Brien. “The Internet’s Impact on Teacher Practice and Classroom Culture.” The Journal 29.11 (2002): 44-48.
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