Essay On Wri 102-E

Does the Internet Make You Smarter or Dumber?

The internet is the result of modern science and has turned people’s lives around. The internet has evolved the living standards of people. Solving problems is easier with the aid of the internet. All questions can be answered with the help of the internet since any topic can be researched on the platform. The life of people has changed and is made easier by the use of the internet. Anything and everything can be accessed with the help of the internet, and there are lesser limits to the access to knowledge. Moreover, internet also allows us to have fun too through games, videos, etc.
Sometimes, during a job, one needs to conduct research which is thought to be a prerequisite for the completion of individual tasks. The internet helps with that too. Distances fade away with the help of the internet, and anything is accessible. The internet is now a necessity in our daily lives. However, with every technological and revolutionary finding, there are drawbacks which the users are susceptible to. The internet, too, comes with many demerits. The internet also contains plenty of adult content easily accessible to children. Many of them can easily watch adult videos, pictures and read texts in the secrecy of their rooms. The execution of criminal activities is much simpler too. It is specifically easy for criminals to access and overcome security measures put in place via the internet. Thus, criminal activities are one the rise due to internet-based systems.
The article titled “Does the Internet Make You Dumber?” written by Carr (2010) highlights the researches and findings conducted on the use of internet and its effects. The author is determined to show the side of the internet which causes people to become lethargic and makes them less capable of productive tasks. Since the facts pointed out by the author are logical, one can say he is right to some extent. The main theme of the article is to illustrate the fact that people who learn through content published online in horizontal format (as opposed to in-depth format) with a lot of hypertexts, tend to memorize lesser than those who read normally. Also, people tend to remember information presented in books more than multimedia presentations. Similarly, emails and other notifications hamper the learning and reading process of an individual who is constantly distracted. Consequently, the creativity of a person is diminished, making him/her less productive.
In the article, the writer mentions a study conduct on students who were divided into two groups. While one group to attend a lecture without internet services, the other group had access to the net. The results proved that the students who had no access to the internet performed better on the test than those who did, proving that the internet dampers mental abilities. Consequently, a person who uses the internet frequently can lose the ability to think and evaluate effectively.
Screen-based activities are a huge art of the internet and provide one with the ability to respond to minor signals. On the other hand, it significantly diminishes vocabulary, meaningfulness, and imagination. The article also knocks over the idea that the internet allows one to become a multitasker by training them to concentrate on many tasks at the same time. A survey revealed that people who spend more time using the internet are neither multitaskers nor are their minds able to grow intellectually.
The writer mentions playing video games as one of the internet’s good characteristics. Video games may replace outdoor sports, but one’s visual skills definitely improve if one continues to play video games non-stop. Since there are plenty of video games online, one can say that the internet also helps improve children’s cognitive abilities.
The nervous system of human beings is made up of nerves that change quickly to adapt to a new experience, habit or pattern acquired. These cognitive changes occur after every new lesson, experience or habit. The nerves record it by changing themselves. Subsequently, the use of the internet halts one’s ability to think on their own and hence, cognitive abilities may become impaired. Moreover, nerves do not change or readjust since no new experience, habit or pattern is acquired.
However, since the internet allows us to carry out extensive and in-depth research, the above-mentioned point does not ring true. With the instructions on the internet, new ideas are perceived, and one can come across new findings. In all modern studies and researches, the internet has served as a huge platform for research. If extensive studies were not available online, it is likely that people would not have, for example, the causes and cures of various illnesses. Without the internet, many new technological discoveries and inventions would not exist, and machines would not be making our lives as simple as they do today. Hence, the internet does not always harm cognitive and creative abilities.
Furthermore, the writer mentioned that reading books are quite useful instead of reading online content. He further states that reading from books prevents distraction and helps maintain focus on one definite object. While this may be true, one will still have to spend plenty of time browsing through plenty of libraries to see if the book one wants is available there. A lot of time will also be consumed looking for and visiting libraries. The same time can be used for other, more productive tasks. Over the internet, all books are available and accessible in less time.
Conversely, the writer’s claim that the internet makes us slow is acceptable since we depend on it for everything. The internet is more of a habit now, and we depend on it to give us answers. Therefore, when it is not available, we do not know how to answer questions or look for them in books. However, one must remember that the source material acquired through the internet is smartly used in many modern studies. In research, creativity and cleverness are taken into account along with the use of internet. A significant example is the encoding of a whole human genome.
Conclusively, the article devised by Carr provided some serious facts which should be taken into account every time we use the internet. We need to balance its use and ensure we do not depend on it excessively. If we do that, the internet can help us be smarter instead of dumber.

Works Cited

Carr. N (2010). Does the Internet Make You Dumber?Dow Jones & Company, Inc retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704025304575284981644790098