Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds For The Better

Whitcomb claims that the Internet will make people smarter in the next 10 years. To support his claim he conducted an online survey of 895 Web users and experts found more than three-quarters believe that, internet will make them smarter in next 10 years. The second claim is that the internet improves writing and reading skills of an individual. Study co-author Janna Anderson, director of the Imagining the Internet Center said “Three out of four experts said our use of the Internet enhances and augments human intelligence, and two-thirds said use of the Internet has improved reading, writing and the rendering of

Technology in today's world affect everyone about the same since we can not live without. The amount of different activities and possibilities to do on the internet using different devices is immense . Whatever you want if it is food,games, or researching something anyone can receive in a matter of seconds. Tammy Kennon who is the author of , “ 5 New Brain Disorders that Were Born Out of the Digital Age” states the negatives about the technology devices that run the world. She tells us about how our patience, attention spans, and memory are all affected due to that fact that we are obsessed with electronics. In today’s world everyone relies on web searches like google to answer a question or do something for them. When a research was conducted by researchers they found out that”[O]ne -Third of them did not even try, reaching for google immediately” this shows how much people rely

Technology nowadays always use to have so much information at our fingertips, but is this a good thing? That is what Jamais Cascio’s “Get Smarter” and Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stoopid?” both discuss; they specifically address the effects that new technology, such as the internet, has on the way humans think. The difference is that Carr argues that this new technology is making us stupid while Cascio argues that it is making us smarter. Nicholas Carr’s article discusses the negative effects of the internet and technology like it. It specifically mentions slight changes in the way people do things because of the influence of technology and gives many historical and anecdotal examples. Jamais Cascio’s article is about the advancements of technology and how it is makes people smarter. Cascio talks about Twitter, mental enhancement drugs and AIs, focusing a lot on the benefits of the advancements.

Technology has become a daily part in one's lives where it helps people do the simplest of tasks and allows time consuming tasks be completed in seconds. People don't have to go to a bookstore to buy books anymore since e-books made the process easier or have to wait in long lines at the DMV when people can make an appointment through their phones. The amount of time technology saves people isn't beneficial though, according to Paul Goldberger and Christina Kline technology has belittled experiences that they believe are part of the experiences of life on a daily basis.

Technology can be captivating to the mind. Nicholas Carr made an incredible statement that hugely related to my life. In the essay “Is google making us

When thinking of technology your optimism affects your answer extremely. If you tend to focus on the negative you might think technology distracts us from the people actually present and if you focus on positivity than you would maybe like how technology can entertain us or make things easier. In the book ‘Fahrenheit 451’ we see how different perspectives look at technology and how it affects different characters lives.

The uses of technology like computers and cell phones are growing every day with new uses and forms. There are mixed feelings about if technology is making us smarter or stupider thru out day to day life. Nicolas Carr a New York Times writer wrote an article about “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” and he tries to show people that computers are making our lives simpler and there for making us as humans stupid. Another writher that goes by the name Greg is a writer for digitaltonto.com, and he found the previous article and wrote “How Computers Change the Way We learn” which is about how all lot of the facts in Carr article could have been read to say anything that the author wanted, so he could make people believe.

“The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing.”(Carr, 315). This quote from “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” gives us an idea on how the internet really changes our habits. Our minds go from being able to concentrate and thinking through problems to relying on google to find a simple solution. We may even count this as lazy as Squarciafico worried that technology would lead to intellectual laziness (Carr, 326). I agree with Squarcifico. Even Carr stated, “…there’s a countertendency to expect

Humans have been in a race for intellectual superiority against themselves for their entire existence. Whether it was the Cold War or the Space Race, humans have aspired for intellectual superiority. Even after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union attempted to lure NAZI scientists to help win the Cold War. However, during the twenty-first century, the best way to become the most intellectual is through the combined use of humans and technology. In the essay “Smarter than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better”, Clive Thompson says, “At [technology’s] best, today’s digital tools help [humans] see more, retain more, communicate more” (347).

This leads us to have lower concentration levels and lower retention rate, changing our cognitive process. Some, including Steven Johnson, the author of Everything Bad is Good for You, argues that modern technology, such as the internet, is positively changing our thinking. Defending modern technology, Johnson states, “. . . The rise of the Internet has challenged our minds in three fundamental and related ways: by virtue of being participatory, by forcing users to learn new interfaces, and by creating new channels for social interaction” (118).

Clive Thompson’s “Smarter Than You Think” reflects upon the idea that technology is her to help us more than we think, rather than the popular belief that technology is ruining the way we think. Thompson believes that the pair between human and technology is making us smarter. Along with that, our minds are slowly adapting to the use of technology, advancing our thinking. Lastly, the relationship between technology and human, has brought humanity closer than ever with the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, at any time. Clive Thomason believes the stronger the bond between humans and technology, the smarter we can become; I also alongside with Thompson believe this is true, and if so us as humans need to embrace the use of

“We are gradually changing from a nation of calloused hands to a nation of agile brains.” – Marcel Just. (Begley 92) This quote really speaks to me. I find it to be very true as we are focusing more on developing new technology to do the work we might be doing with our hands. It is similar to the common expression “Work Smarter not Harder”. I think that this is what the internet is letting us do. However many authors and writers do not think this is the case. They believe that the internet is making us less intelligent as it is rewiring our brain to think in order of internet articles rather than books. I on the contrary believe the internet is giving us an easy opportunity to learn which is therefore making us more intelligent.

What effect does modern digital technology have on individuals who rely on it heavily in their everyday lives? Innovations such as video games, internet search engines, and online databases receive great praise as well as great criticism depending on who answers this question. Nicholas Carr and Steven Johnson have both written pieces stating their opinions on technology’s effect on the human brain. Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” explains how accessing information quickly and easily through search engines like Google negatively alters the way people seek and read information and think. Johnson’s book “Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter” covers the positive attributes of digital technology, video games in particular. He explains how video games are intellectually stimulating and help develop complex skills. Digital technology has interesting effects on the different processes of our mind.

Technology is used on a daily basis to accomplish specific tasks or interests. Modern technology increases human capabilities and this technology has evolved with years. Technology simplifies life in so many ways and everyone defines technology in their own way. They’re new types of technology on the market, this technology simplifies our daily lives. They’re endless demands as consumers of technology, people use technology to accomplish simple tasks every day. Technology’s used in business, education, communication, healthcare, entertainment and so much more. There’s an unquestionable impact of technology on society. Whether considering the plow, vaccinations, or the internet, technology has had a huge impact on society. While not every advance benefits society, there’s many positive effects of technology. Modern technology makes life more convenient now more than ever. Modern technologies like broadband internet makes it possible to access relevant information at any time anywhere. Today’s technology makes it simple for students to learn from anywhere through online education and mobile education, which improves the education system. It also improves the health system, most hospitals have implemented modern technology in surgical rooms, which may reduce the number of mistakes made by doctors. Modern technology’s more convenient than when it was simpler because, it provides an easy way to access information, improves the education system, and it improves the health system.

Where would we be without technology? The number of things that we are now capable of doing is infinite because of the technology we have access to. This technology is also changing the way we think, write and concentrate. Cell/ smart phones along with texting and being able to Google practically everything have all played a role in the way we think and do things in today’s society.