Normally I associate the phrase "Nobel Prize Winner" with other phrases like intelligent, innovative, and inspiring. However, when Doris Lessing (new Nobel prize winner) makes a statement that the internet makes us dumb, I question my original associations.
According to this article in TechCrunch, Lessing believes that our generation of internet users is fragmented culturally and stunted mentally. With the use of the internet, we certainly no longer read, and we obviously have no idea what's going on in the world.
WRONG! Personally, the internet has enhanced my mind. For example, I may not have the time to sit down and read the paper, but I can pop onto cnn.com to check the latest news. Or maybe I have just heard about something I am not familiar with, well then there is a remedy for that called wikipedia. The internet has increased my knowledge, not limited it.
Whatever Lessing's intentions were in this speech, whether or not she was really trying to demean a generation, the reality is that the internet, like any form of communication, can be used for both good and evil. But the internet itself is not capable of making us dumb, and if used correctly it can open up a whole new world of knowledge for us.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Internet Brain Drain
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1 comment:
Darcie, are you kiding me? You're absolutely right! The internet IS knowledge. I feel that not only does the internet help us connect to one another, but it offers an abundance of information. I feel like YouTube is turning into a tool that offers new and exciting information. The YouTube website is a fun place to learn and gain knowledge. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg with regards to the internet's true capabilities. It is definately not a brain drain.
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