Is the Internet Making Us Stupid?

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Clive Thompson wrote this article: (Clive Thompson on How More Info Leads to Less Knowledge) suggesting that the amount of false information (repeated on multiple sites sometimes to intentionally cover up facts) we get flooded with on the internet is leading to less knowledge. In light of some of the types of websites that have been shared here recently, what do you think? Do we know less because of the internet?

This is a quote from the above article:

Wired said:
"People always assume that if someone doesn't know something, it's because they haven't paid attention or haven't yet figured it out," Proctor says. "But ignorance also comes from people literally suppressing truth—or drowning it out—or trying to make it so confusing that people stop caring about what's true and what's not."
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well I dont think its making us stupid.

But I do think that there is a problem with so much information being easily available the problem being trying discern how much of it is true.
 
In my opinion it does. Their is a hadith which says that in the end times, there will be an overload of information, & lack of knowledge. Now a days, so much "junk data" is bombarded upon us through all our five senses that we dont get any time to integrate all of it into a holistic life/world view. We have lost our critical thinking too because our slow CT abilities cant cope with Terrabytes of data that we create for ourselves. Result is fragmentation of individual & social psyche. We are all "in varing degrees" broken people living in broken societies. Broken people/societies are stupid.

Religion or any other collective myth connects us at subconscious level (to ourselves & rest of creation). We have lost even that luxury to somebody's boobs, somebody's bucks or somebody's home run (which are all in one way or other, nothing more than myths). What other word than stupid can define it?

Simply putting it, we have become our own slaves. This is kind of idol-worship. Quran says,"they have made their desires their God."
 
This is a good point. There is a whole lot of information and misinformation on the internet. It can be overwhelming, and it is pretty easy to get sucked into something that is misleading. There are entire cult industries for different conspiracy theories that thrive on the easy access of the internet. Anyone can have a blog, and they can say anything they want. They can read other blogs, articles, etc and get inspired to echo them or amplify them in new ways. I just finished reading a book by Noam Chomsky where he talks about these aspects of the internet.

The internet can be an excellent resource, but you have to be able to sift through it and limit the information you allow in. Over time, I've subscribed to several reputable news (and opinion) sources, and I use these as filters. The news comes to my inbox, much like newspapers are delivered to people's doors. I then have a spread of stories to scan, giving me a broad overview of some of the things that are happening that I may be concerned about. I never read all of them; on any given day I may read between one and five articles. Sometimes I go weeks without checking it. Anyway, the point is, there are ways to harness the internet that help you separate the wheat from the chaff. It's not incredibly difficult, but it does require a bit of discrimination.

So in that way, you can use the internet to help educate yourself rather than dumb you down. ;)

2c
 
It's way better than tv. With the net you have to read, it requires a little more of a person. You get more of a chance to wade through and decide if you are wasting time. With the tv more of your senses are attacked at once, it easier to have your attention drawn in for the programming. :eek:
 
Joedjr said:
It's way better than tv. With the net you have to read, it requires a little more of a person. You get more of a chance to wade through and decide if you are wasting time. With the tv more of your senses are attacked at once, it easier to have your attention drawn in for the programming. :eek:
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TV can be a useful tool, too. Unfortunately there's even more junk on television than there is on the internet. Or maybe now that TV is basically on the internet, that's not entirely true. Anyway, I think the potential of TV has been totally squandered.
 
We were stupid to begin with..

Kids who were born after the Internet are going to have multiple-folds of IQ than us. And more people are going to have IQ. By the time we vote on the Internet, it`ll be a different world where some may even elect girls and boys into office.

It`s just gonna get harder to manipulate politics as one is dealing with so many with mega diversity.

It may not even be a matter of whether the Internet makes us dumb, we may be lucky if future generations don`t exterminate us for our stupidity (just joking..).

TK

p.s. then again there`s always those that come from behind who are stupid, who want to control and manipulate us. If they get a good grip, the Internet will make people stupid.
 
The internet is a library - it takes a discerning mind to separate fact from fiction.

However, in doing so, usually presumes a bias in the first place. :)
 
Making us stupid? Not at all.... Quite the opposite... I was a rambling retard before I had the internet.... Now look at me... Two bachelors degree's eight diplomas.... I am doing swell....

The only thing it is doing is encouraging us to be lazy... And I am sure it isn't helping the fat get any smaller......... Lazy fat bas..... *ahem* Oh it also makes us loose a physical socialisation..... For me that is no biggy as I loathe 'mingling' with people.... But, then again there is a digital socialisation... We will lose the understanding of body language.... And possibly our legs...

It also improves our reactions/reflexes/knowledge/porn collection/tpyign skills.... It's all good......


PS... I might have lied about my kwalifykations....
 
Hi Pathless,
Pathless said:
Anyway, I think the potential of TV has been totally squandered.
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Depends on which side of the monetary gain you are on. I suspect there are quite a few who are extremely happy with the current state of tv.
 
:D nyce won Alex

Given the interplay between personal bias and the ultimate truth that whatever your bias someone somewhere wants you to adopt theirs I think the internet brings a unique natural balance to much enquiry. Given the number of hits wiki gets each day I think it beyond question the internet is a valued resource that can only aid knowledge to those inclined to look for it. Bias is in everything, thus it is madness itself to adopt a single source of anything as something representing all truth.
 
NewDawn said:
:D nyce won Alex

Given the interplay between personal bias and the ultimate truth that whatever your bias someone somewhere wants you to adopt theirs I think the internet brings a unique natural balance to much enquiry. Given the number of hits wiki gets each day I think it beyond question the internet is a valued resource that can only aid knowledge to those inclined to look for it. Bias is in everything, thus it is madness itself to adopt a single source of anything as something representing all truth.
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Thanks! I dedicate that post to -you-,

I must say I agree with your post also! True there can be some bad on the net.... But, it is an amazing resource.... You can learn ANYTHING, how can that possible make us stupid.....

Ok top of my head.... Urmmm... KINGS! The kings in a pack of cards represent real kings of history.... Sp(david) hrt(Charlemange) Dmd(Caesar) cb(Alexander the great) I would have -NEVER- known that if I hadn't googled that some time last year lol.... OR it is impossible to lick your elbow...... (yeah we've all heard that...) But 75% of the people that hear it attempt it lol.... ;)

Seriously though, I have learnt more over the years on the internet than I did at school.... I speak like five languages now..... Why? Because the internet made that possible... I can name pretty much any flag in the world... Learnt about other cultures and pretty much every major religion..... The only thing I haven't done is maths.... And well I hate maths so that ain't happening.... Everything is made possible by the internet..... Education, experiences, love, friendships unity...... Whoever believes the internet makes us stupid, is clearly a fool that is living in the stone age.
 
Alex P said:
Thanks! I dedicate that post to -you-,

I must say I agree with your post also! True there can be some bad on the net.... But, it is an amazing resource.... You can learn ANYTHING, how can that possible make us stupid.....

Ok top of my head.... Urmmm... KINGS! The kings in a pack of cards represent real kings of history.... Sp(david) hrt(Charlemange) Dmd(Caesar) cb(Alexander the great) I would have -NEVER- known that if I hadn't googled that some time last year lol.... OR it is impossible to lick your elbow...... (yeah we've all heard that...) But 75% of the people that hear it attempt it lol.... ;)

Seriously though, I have learnt more over the years on the internet than I did at school.... I speak like five languages now..... Why? Because the internet made that possible... I can name pretty much any flag in the world... Learnt about other cultures and pretty much every major religion..... The only thing I haven't done is maths.... And well I hate maths so that ain't happening.... Everything is made possible by the internet..... Education, experiences, love, friendships unity...... Whoever believes the internet makes us stupid, is clearly a fool that is living in the stone age.
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lol, you just got me thinking down a line of thought > I remember a criticism of the Catholic Church in keeping bibles and masses conducted in latin as a private gnosis for only the ordained was some effort at keeping the masses ignorant. Perhaps in truth it was only so the preachers themselves did not have to learn it.
 
NewDawn said:
lol, you just got me thinking down a line of thought > I remember a criticism of the Catholic Church in keeping bibles and masses conducted in latin as a private gnosis for only the ordained was some effort at keeping the masses ignorant. Perhaps in truth it was only so the preachers themselves did not have to learn it.
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With the net, it is simple to learn Latin ;).. Ex Uno disce omnes.....
 
"Making us stupid? Not at all..." says Alex P. And I don't know why no one rejects his conclusions. Why? Because it's obviously that to be "clever" and to "know many different stuff" is not the same.
Internet does us more lazy, you said. More lazy is the same as more stupid. We have already forgotten how to think with internet's kind help; we are just reading and reading and reading... Ah, forgot: ...and writing what we've read. It's abnormal for humane nature.

He keeps on talking: "I have learnt more over the years on the internet than I did at school.... I speak like five languages now..... Why? Because the internet made that possible... I can name pretty much any flag in the world... Learnt about other cultures and pretty much every major religion..... The only thing I haven't done is maths.... And well I hate maths so that ain't happening.... Everything is made possible by the internet..... Education, experiences, love, friendships unity..." And no one dares to deny, again.
Yes, we know any rubbish from internet. We read on and on. Is it "cleverness"?! If I'm not mistaken, Jonattan Swift in his Hulliver Adventures said that knowing different people's opinions is far not the clever-ness. We can't call one clever if he's a walking biblioteka! I know many languages and so on, but this knowledge is only a opportunity that's given by mind, by clever mind. Internet can't make an interesting person if the latter doesn't want to be smart.

"Whoever believes the internet makes us stupid, is clearly a fool that is living in the stone age." - very interesting position. I thought that degree of civilization is usually observed on people living in this civilization. Not mechanical toys, not skyscrapers - only with people's faces. What we see now? We live in intellectual and spiritual "stone age". We all, not only me... :)
 
Dharmaatmaa said:
"Making us stupid? Not at all..." says Alex P. And I don't know why no one rejects his conclusions. Why? Because it's obviously that to be "clever" and to "know many different stuff" is not the same.
Internet does us more lazy, you said. More lazy is the same as more stupid. We have already forgotten how to think with internet's kind help; we are just reading and reading and reading... Ah, forgot: ...and writing what we've read. It's abnormal for humane nature.

He keeps on talking: "I have learnt more over the years on the internet than I did at school.... I speak like five languages now..... Why? Because the internet made that possible... I can name pretty much any flag in the world... Learnt about other cultures and pretty much every major religion..... The only thing I haven't done is maths.... And well I hate maths so that ain't happening.... Everything is made possible by the internet..... Education, experiences, love, friendships unity..." And no one dares to deny, again.
Yes, we know any rubbish from internet. We read on and on. Is it "cleverness"?! If I'm not mistaken, Jonattan Swift in his Hulliver Adventures said that knowing different people's opinions is far not the clever-ness. We can't call one clever if he's a walking biblioteka! I know many languages and so on, but this knowledge is only a opportunity that's given by mind, by clever mind. Internet can't make an interesting person if the latter doesn't want to be smart.

"Whoever believes the internet makes us stupid, is clearly a fool that is living in the stone age." - very interesting position. I thought that degree of civilization is usually observed on people living in this civilization. Not mechanical toys, not skyscrapers - only with people's faces. What we see now? We live in intellectual and spiritual "stone age". We all, not only me... :)
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LOL!! **** me, I've got my own narrator how awesome is that? Will you do "mood themes" as well?

wtf are you banging on about? To know much and to be clever as you define the two as different (up to you) both are opposite of stupidity... In my opinion Mr narrator. And you then bang on about people being interesting? That has nothing to do with stupidity... I know many "stupid" people that are interesting lol... And I know many people that are "clever" or "know alot of stuff" that are also interesting, I tend to find the ones who have a freaking sense of humour the most interesting however....
 
Ahem, well, if you think the internet is making us stupid, then there is a way to fix this problem........ top right hand corner of your screen is an x.. click it,,,,,, now click on the button at the bottom and .... wait for it....................... turn off the computer.......
that wasnt hard now , was it?




p.s. my pop was a very wise man, he did many things in his time and was well known in the district for his sharp mind and skills as a farmer/shearer/and primary producer........ however one of the brilliant quotes i can remember from this man is........." that thing,,, televison, yeah, its allright,,,,,,, but the idea will never catch on......."

lol.
 
I gave up on learning to use Linux. Back in the day when you had to install and configure it, multiple books on it were aimed at advanced users. The beginner books, on the other hand, didn't even mention the problems I was having. Ok, neither did the advanced ones. Catch 22! I was overloaded with information that I just couldn't use, and for various reasons my Linux system (8 different kinds I tried) just wouldn't go. Sometimes, my computer didn't have enough RAM. Other times, my internet wouldn't work. Other times it was a problem with getting x-windows started, or couldn't get man pages, or what have you. Then there were hardware failures, too, but I just lumped it all together with the stupid book problem. There were so many cycles and ruts that I started to wonder the same things Clive is suggesting.....that somebody flooded the market with lame books to hold me back!!!! Now I can easily load one of the pre-made versions of linux, but the associated information has blossomed into an entire universe. I dare not configure Linux without setting aside 8 hours to learn just a few things. If I cannot configure my own computer, then I don't see the point in having one.

I am really enthused about the whole conspiracy idea from the OP! Yes, I agree with Clive Thompson; although I don't think his opinion tells the whole story. Yes, it is possible to hide facts and events with a big smokescreen of false info! Countries do that during war time, for instance. It cannot be easy, though. You have to make people give up on trying to find things out. Like Pathless, people naturally start to organize even the most cluttered world, unless they feel that it is hopeless to try.
 
Alex P;181325OR said:
it is impossible to lick your elbow...... (yeah we've all heard that...) But 75% of the people that hear it attempt it lol.... ;)
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Ugh. I just joined that 75%. And yes, I failed. But what about someone like Gene Simmons? I bet he could do it.
 
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