A popular accusation that has made the rounds is that the internet is making us dumber. The fact that people feel less obligated to memorize details or learn things for themselves given the alternative of going online does seem like rather damning evidence. But maybe we're just looking at the next step in our thinking process with old eyes and with the bias of traditional processes. I really don't feel the Web is a crutch - it may very well be a major part in the next step of our evolution.
Google changed the game in terms of web search when it came out since it moved away from just trying to compile a directory of the web and instead created a smarter, faster way to sift through it. Instead of trying to trap you in the search portal, they only wanted to help you along and have you leave as soon as possible. Google showed the world that search could be able speed and accuracy, all wrapped in a minimalist package. And we all responded and voted with our keyboards and learned to rely on Google for so many things. Sure, most search engines have responded to this challenge and have adapted to this new search environment, but Google really started it all.
At the same time, mobile technology has made leaps and bounds and now devices have gotten smaller and a lot more powerful. The advent of the smartphone and its ability to combine the functions of a phone, a web browser and a multimedia device have made it indispensable to many people. Even the simplest of phones have some way of accessing the web and keeping us all connected.
If you don't use your phone, then perhaps you carry around a laptop and connect to available WiFi signals at will. This couldn't be more true now that developers have come up with devices like netbooks, which emphasis mobility and easy web access all with a 10.1 screen size. And they keep coming up with other ways to access the web on the go like eBook Readers and of course Apple's iPhones and iPads. The list goes on and on.
A friend of mine used to joke about "Google Delay" during a chat conversation - this being the amount of time the person you're talking to seems to pause to consider a response when it's very likely he's actually searching on Google for information about whatever you're talking about. But Google Delay, or whatever you want to call it, really isn't much time anymore. Google, or whichever is your search engine of choice, all give results pretty quickly and the conversation remains seamless. So now we get to appear like we know more than we did without the aid of the web.
We also use the web to address things we normally wouldn't be able to resolve on our own. Just think about how getting lost used to be such a socially burdensome experience. If you had no idea where you are, you'd need to somehow find someone in the area who could (1) speak your language and (2) tell you how to get where you need to go. Now we have online mapping technology like Google Maps that can give us turn-by-turn instructions, transit information or even walking paths where available.
And the examples of how the web helps us more and more go on and on. Heck, this list is constantly evolving and becoming longer and more complex as time progresses.
Now we get to process the world with the benefits of two brains. We start with our own, one that is shaped by years of education and learning by experience. The other is a more social one, a repository of shared experiences and information that we can all add to and access as needed. As the world learns more, gets smarter and takes the time to document this knowledge on the internet, we all become smarter because of it.
And this is why I feel this is all part of our evolutionary progression. This is a great leap forward for us - a way for everyone to have access to more information, whether in our brains or elsewhere. Aren't these exciting times that we now live in? The fact that we can now do all this with greater and greater ease has to be a good thing. And in time we'll figure out better ways to stay connected with greater ease and speed. And in the end we'll all be the better for it.
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