Has Technology Created a Smarter Society?

[claireexner-blog]

Rough Type on Twitter

“Just Google it https://t.co/6Ef0d94OW4”

Author Nicolas Carr believes that technology is turning users into shallow thinkers.  By depending on technology, we may be putting ourselves in a position of vulnerability.  If technology were to fail, we would be left without knowledge because of our reliance on machines to recall facts and information for us.  I work at a medium sized home health agency, and can only imagine the chaos that would ensue if our computer networks were to fail.  Patients would go without care because all of our scheduling is done online, and caregivers would not even know what treatments to give or what medical conditions patients have because we rely so heavily on the information stored in the system.  In this way, technology cripples us and impedes intelligence because we fail to make mental note of important information.     

[claireexner-blog]

Clive Thompson on Twitter

“What would it be like to work in a VR office? A @motherboard writer finds out: https://t.co/KB2cZkcKdO”

Clive Thompson, author of “Smarter Than You Think,” strongly advocates the role of technology in making society as a whole more intelligent.  Is virtual reality a tool that could someday enhance our intelligence even further and allow us to preform unprecedented tasks?  The movie The Matrix could be referenced, as the virtual reality models are used to allow the characters to hone their fighting skills.  Could this be applied to our lives?  Technology provides a space for users to practice and learn through trial and error.        

[claireexner-blog]

We have migrated towards relying on the internet for answers to questions we turned to out friends and neighbors for in the past.  As humans, we are designed to interact with others to further our intelligence and social skills.  Technology is a powerful tool for storing information, but may damage our social intelligence and memory capacity.    

[claireexner-blog]

This is quite the question for the ages. Through different generations you will see varied answers to this in-your-face question. Studies have shown reasons we are.

This study concluded that those with “stronger cognitive skills” were less likely to rely on smartphones to solve problems and answer questions.  Some researchers argue that technologies are just new tools that humans are using, and that individual intelligence is unaffected by usage.  An example of this would be using an online textbook instead of a printed book for a class.  The material does not change, the medium for the content only does.  Reading the content on an iPad or on a printed page does little to change what the user is learning.  The iPad is just a new tool to utilize in the education process.         

[claireexner-blog]

Many people argue that every time a new technology emerges, it will control and ruin those who are “sucked into” it.  To many who are unfamiliar with newer technologies, this picture may reinforce the idea that younger users are zombified brainless addicts.  Another way to look at this picture is that young users are learning about an important new tool that will help them network and socialize with others in their age group and expand their collaborative skills.  

[claireexner-blog]

Automation Makes Us Dumb

Human intelligence is withering as computers do more, but there’s a solution.

Machines took the place of human skill in previous decades, now technology may be taking the place of human intelligence.  Consider the skill and intelligence that pilots must have to insure safe operation of an airplane.  Today, computers have replaced many of the “cock pit” skills that competent pilots must possess.  Instead of just being used as an assistive tool, many professionals have come to rely on technology instead of personal experience, intelligence, and skill.  I can draw parallels to the medical field, as I feel like there are many new technologies that are greatly helpful, but at the same time may be used without fully understanding why they are being implemented, and the process behind them.   

[claireexner-blog]

Here's what science says about how digital technology REALLY affects our brains

The negative effects may be exaggerated.

Several neuroscientists, including Dr. Susan Greenfield, have spoken of the dangers of “internet use and video games”.  She argues that technology use has actually impaired social interaction and intelligence, as users may be avoiding social situations by turning to the internet.  Greenfield feels that video games may shorten attention span, and that internet based interactions may actually trigger autism.  Working as a pediatric nurse, I saw many different children’s interactions with media.  I don’t believe that media actually “causes” autism, but may appeal to children who are on the autism spectrum.  Many children would use television shows as a method of bonding with each other, as they watched the shows together and socialized over the content.  An autistic patient, on the other hand, would watch television alone as a way to “bond” with the characters and not other children.        

[claireexner-blog]

Does the Internet Make You Dumber?

A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the Internet, with its constant distractions and interruptions, is turning us into scattered and superficial thinkers, says Nicholas Carr.

“To be everywhere is to be nowhere” is a great quote in expressing the scattered thought process that access to information may create for users.  The internet may be too overwhelming and cause a “division in thought process” that is not conducive to the human learning process.  We may not retain as much when confronted with the need to multitask and sift through superfluous information.  Creativity and mental discipline may be stunted as well by “skimming and scanning” necessary to navigate the internet.  Do you ever feel scatter brained or overwhelmed by the constant bombardment and over abundance of information?         

[claireexner-blog]

In a few short years, the Internet has changed the way we communicate, entertain ourselves and do business with one another. Could it eventually destroy human intellect as well?

This article makes the point that although users may be able to look up facts, it doesn’t mean that they will understand or be able to make use of them.  Access to information has little to nothing to do with intelligence.  A positive may be that technology like the internet will assist users in connecting with each other to help them learn about themselves and others more easily, thereby allowing for teaching and learning to occur.  If technology is viewed as a tool instead of a new way of thinking and interacting, we may see that we have the power to allow it to either hinder or help our “intellect.”      

[claireexner-blog]

The Internet Is Making You Smarter, Really - Digiday

Journalist Clive Thompson on how new technology is changing the way we think, learn and remember – and why that’s a good thing for brands and people alike.

Clive Thompson is a proponent for emerging technology and believes that it is making society smarter as a whole.  He states that because real world thinking is “deeply social,” the internet has allowed users to collaborate and learn with others.  Because more people can connect and bounce ideas off each other, users have access to other people’s viewpoints and knowledge base.  This viewpoint reinforces the idea of “collective intelligence,” where a group combines their individual knowledge base and expertise to solve problems or answer questions.  Technology may assist users in developing more “social” intelligence in some ways because it is easier to connect with others.        

[claireexner-blog]

Technology let's us choose the areas in which we want to be smart and in which we would rather be ignorant. That’s a cause for celebration, not lament

This article makes the argument that if technology is making us “dumber” today, then did acquiring the skill of writing make people dumber when it evolved?  Ancient Greek philosophers worried that writing may “contribute to an overall intellectual decline.”  Is technological progress a good thing?  I disagree with the idea that technology is making us smarter because it allows us to only focus on topics we are very interested in, because this may lead to narrow mindedness.  If we are only exposed to a very narrow range of subject material, we miss out on learning about other topics and ideas.            

[claireexner-blog]

How computers change the way we learn

Can technology improve the way we learn and think? Google’s head of research argues we're headed into a new era of education.

Technological advances have allowed people to create learning tools such as apps that help users “effortlessly” learn about new subjects, such as foreign languages, math, and science.  Apps may even be developed to “track” individual learning habit and style to effectively teach information tailored to the specific learning needs the user may have.  Although technology may help streamline learning strategies, I believe that human interaction and teaching is still the most effective method of teaching.  An example of this for me would be the “orientation” process that my employer offers.  Instead of using human instruction, new employees sit through hours of instructional videos and powerpoint presentations tailored to their job description.  While this may save time and human resources, I definitely felt like I retained little from sitting in front of a computer for hours with no human interaction.       

[claireexner-blog]

Digital dependence 'eroding human memory' - BBC News

An over-reliance on using computers and search engines is weakening people's memories, according to a study.

Dr Maria Wimber believes that digital trends negatively impact human memory.  She states that the habit of “looking up information prevents the buildup of longterm memory.”  With access to instant information, “looking up the answer” has become many people’s first resort in attempting to answer a question or recall a memory.  This had led to “digital amnesia,” as people have become used to looking up phone numbers, addresses, and other vital pieces of everyday information.  With technological advances such as autocorrect and autocomplete, I feel like I rely on these much more than I did even a few years ago.  I catch myself forgetting how to spell words when handwriting sometimes because I have become accustomed to letting the computer fix my mistakes.        

[claireexner-blog]

Google Effect: is technology making us stupid?

"Is the internet making us stupid?" I type. Press enter. Almost instantly, a raft of answers and articles on screen. It's an unsettling feeling that my first instinct – to Google my own stupidity – may be the root of my increasing daftness.

Some scientists and social commentators argue that instant access to information that has become available through smart phones, the internet, and email has become detrimental to users’ intelligence.  They state that users have come to rely on the “memory” of the internet, much as people relied on the knowledge and memory of friends, neighbors, and family members before the advent of new technology.  Users have become complacent knowing that basically any question or piece of knowledge they may need is only a Google search away, a phenomenon that has been termed the “Google effect.”  To me, this is a question of how the user is interacting with the technology.  If Google is simply used as a tool, it seems hard to believe it can drastically effect intelligence of the user.  It’s impact on intelligence may be in how the individual user is interacting with the tool.      

[claireexner-blog]

‘Smarter Than You Think,’ by Clive Thompson

Has the Internet age made us lazy, or has it produced, as Clive Thompson says, a “radical new style of human intelligence”?

Author Clive Thompson argues that new technology such as the internet has indeed changed the way we think, and argues that it has changed it for the better.  He states often that internet users’ cognition process has changed dramatically, and because users interact often with each other they have acquired an almost “ESP-like” awareness of the world around them.  He states that the amount of new “good” that technology offers far outweighs the “bad” that may come along with it.  I feel like the internet has in many ways undermined our intelligence, because when we so readily rely on technology to “memorize” everything for us, we lose out ability to.  People were still able to intact and combine their intelligence and knowledge before the internet, the difference is that we did it in person.          

[claireexner-blog]

Has Instant Acces to Information Created a Smarter Society?

Has instant access to information using emerging technologies created a smarter society?  I believe that technology has greatly changed the way we retrieve and process information.  Some argue that technologies such as the internet have made people “dumber,” while others believe that these same technologies have actually increased intelligence amongst users.  Because of the incredible volume of information available via the internet and the ease of access to it, the way many people seek out answers to questions has changed dramatically and very rapidly.  It is very interesting to delve into how this change has and will continue to effect society.