Technical activity automatically eliminates every nontechnical activity or transforms it into technical activity. This does not mean, however, that there is any conscious effort or directive will.
Jacques Ellul
Monday, January 25, 2010
Is the Internet Changing the Way We Think?
Please have a look at this website, on which you will find a wide range of responses to a related question: how is the Internet changing the way you think?
Harvard physician and sociologist Nicholas Christakis stated, “Our brains likely evolved ... in response to the demands of social (rather than environmental) complexity.” If the social complexity of such things like the internet is the reason that our brains evolve, then it would seem foolish to believe that the internet is not changing the way we think. Some philosophers have stated that they believe that this change is for the worst. While others believe that it’s for the best. I tend to believe the latter. With advancement of technology over thousands of years, it is clear that we have grown smarter than our ancestors. With the internet we can gather information quicker and more efficiently. This in itself is using the old saying work smarter not harder.
The Internet is definitly changing the way we think. I find myself nearly everday on the computer looking up my e-mail, checking facebook, or researching for class. The Internet is an aceptable means of access to research and is a vital part of how we the individual can communicate with the widespread population of humanity throughout the world. We have developed so much with the world wide web, but are we to dependant upon it? I feel that those who remember the days when computers, let alone the the Internet, did not exist, are more diverse in thought and can work with technology, but still be independant of it and work with the typical pen, paper, and book. The Internet changes how we function and communicate with others, and makes our thoughts flow easier by providing us with the basis of a good research data base and impliment that is of easy access and availability to so much of the world
Relating back to something said in class today, 1/29, we were discussing the impact of online schooling and moving toward a virtual classroom. With psychology as my major I have to think about the impacts this would cause from a developmental standpoint. Major theories in psychology say that the interactions and experiences we have with other individuals helps up to develop intellectually and emotionally. By eliminating the "hassel" of coming to school, we also eliminate those vital interactions that make up who we are. Where does this leave future generations? What will happen to people developmentally due to the lack of human interaction face to face?
I think the internet is changing the way we think, based on the individual. It definitely has the capability of expanding our knowledge for the better, but could also be a detrimental setback, depending on how each person chooses to use the technology. Before the internet, when someone had free time, it was common practice to crack open a book, while gaining knowledge in the process. Now, especially with young adults, free time is often spent surfing the internet looking at pictures, playing games, or talking to friends, and in many cases looking for a way to just waste time. The internet is also responsible for enhancing knowledge, on the other hand. In a research aspect, it provides numerous sources of information, that more than likely would not be found if searching through books in local libraries, and allowing us to gain more knowledge of the subject than would otherwise be gathered. I think the internet definitely changes the way we think, however, it is at the discretion of the individual whether that change is for the better or for the worse.
I'm not sure I agree that the internet is changing the way we think. It's changing the way we communicate and acquire information, but the thought process remains fundamentally unchanged.If you do research via online resources versus a set of encyclopedias, the process of thought remains the same, you've merely changed the method of acquiring the inputs for your mind to ponder. The process of taking those inputs(once acquired) and converting them to outputs remains the same. What is the difference in thought process in reading from a screen versus a book versus a scroll made of papyrus? Just for arguments sake, one might consider the fact that the internet has allowed people, in this respect, to be more social, whereas a research project 15 years ago may have meant hours, if not days, in seclusion in a library, now can be accomplished in a fraction of the time online. Just this past Sunday I met a buddy in a Pub to sit and do accounting research on my laptop. that wasn't possible 2 decades ago...
The Internet is definitely changing the way we think, especially the younger generations that have known nothing else. People are less likely to go to the library and use encyclopedias or scholarly journals to research something that they could Google and find even more information that what some libraries contain. With wireless technology now available on cell phones and iPods and other similar devices, people are even more likely to use the Internet to find answers. While I love using the Internet and everything it offers, as a future educator I can see the downfalls that it has in the education system. There were several students in the class I observed and taught last semester that had no idea how to use and encyclopedia or use a call number in the library to find a book. We need to remember that there are always hundreds of people using one server for their Internet access and it is likely to crash from time to time. Even though answers may be at fingertips, we need to remember that it may not always be like and remember how we survived without the Internet.
I do beleive that the internet is changing the way we think. I agree with this because I am on the computer about two to three hours a day about 5 days a week. This changes the way we think because it is so easy to find information on the internet. If you type something in a search engine like google, you are more than likely going to find hits about your topic of interest. I think the internet is interfering with some of the old ways of looking information up. I think the one thing bad about the internet is finding a source that is not reliable. A good source that I have found helpful on the internet is ebsco host which is a search engine that is very reliable. The internet is helpful only when using it for the right reasons. The internet is only going to keep getting inhanced and may someday lead to a way of learning for example online classes.
7 comments:
Harvard physician and sociologist Nicholas Christakis stated, “Our brains likely evolved ... in response to the demands of social (rather than environmental) complexity.” If the social complexity of such things like the internet is the reason that our brains evolve, then it would seem foolish to believe that the internet is not changing the way we think. Some philosophers have stated that they believe that this change is for the worst. While others believe that it’s for the best. I tend to believe the latter. With advancement of technology over thousands of years, it is clear that we have grown smarter than our ancestors. With the internet we can gather information quicker and more efficiently. This in itself is using the old saying work smarter not harder.
The Internet is definitly changing the way we think. I find myself nearly everday on the computer looking up my e-mail, checking facebook, or researching for class. The Internet is an aceptable means of access to research and is a vital part of how we the individual can communicate with the widespread population of humanity throughout the world. We have developed so much with the world wide web, but are we to dependant upon it? I feel that those who remember the days when computers, let alone the the Internet, did not exist, are more diverse in thought and can work with technology, but still be independant of it and work with the typical pen, paper, and book. The Internet changes how we function and communicate with others, and makes our thoughts flow easier by providing us with the basis of a good research data base and impliment that is of easy access and availability to so much of the world
Relating back to something said in class today, 1/29, we were discussing the impact of online schooling and moving toward a virtual classroom. With psychology as my major I have to think about the impacts this would cause from a developmental standpoint. Major theories in psychology say that the interactions and experiences we have with other individuals helps up to develop intellectually and emotionally. By eliminating the "hassel" of coming to school, we also eliminate those vital interactions that make up who we are. Where does this leave future generations? What will happen to people developmentally due to the lack of human interaction face to face?
I think the internet is changing the way we think, based on the individual. It definitely has the capability of expanding our knowledge for the better, but could also be a detrimental setback, depending on how each person chooses to use the technology. Before the internet, when someone had free time, it was common practice to crack open a book, while gaining knowledge in the process. Now, especially with young adults, free time is often spent surfing the internet looking at pictures, playing games, or talking to friends, and in many cases looking for a way to just waste time. The internet is also responsible for enhancing knowledge, on the other hand. In a research aspect, it provides numerous sources of information, that more than likely would not be found if searching through books in local libraries, and allowing us to gain more knowledge of the subject than would otherwise be gathered. I think the internet definitely changes the way we think, however, it is at the discretion of the individual whether that change is for the better or for the worse.
I'm not sure I agree that the internet is changing the way we think. It's changing the way we communicate and acquire information, but the thought process remains fundamentally unchanged.If you do research via online resources versus a set of encyclopedias, the process of thought remains the same, you've merely changed the method of acquiring the inputs for your mind to ponder. The process of taking those inputs(once acquired) and converting them to outputs remains the same. What is the difference in thought process in reading from a screen versus a book versus a scroll made of papyrus? Just for arguments sake, one might consider the fact that the internet has allowed people, in this respect, to be more social, whereas a research project 15 years ago may have meant hours, if not days, in seclusion in a library, now can be accomplished in a fraction of the time online. Just this past Sunday I met a buddy in a Pub to sit and do accounting research on my laptop. that wasn't possible 2 decades ago...
The Internet is definitely changing the way we think, especially the younger generations that have known nothing else. People are less likely to go to the library and use encyclopedias or scholarly journals to research something that they could Google and find even more information that what some libraries contain. With wireless technology now available on cell phones and iPods and other similar devices, people are even more likely to use the Internet to find answers. While I love using the Internet and everything it offers, as a future educator I can see the downfalls that it has in the education system. There were several students in the class I observed and taught last semester that had no idea how to use and encyclopedia or use a call number in the library to find a book. We need to remember that there are always hundreds of people using one server for their Internet access and it is likely to crash from time to time. Even though answers may be at fingertips, we need to remember that it may not always be like and remember how we survived without the Internet.
I do beleive that the internet is changing the way we think. I agree with this because I am on the computer about two to three hours a day about 5 days a week. This changes the way we think because it is so easy to find information on the internet. If you type something in a search engine like google, you are more than likely going to find hits about your topic of interest. I think the internet is interfering with some of the old ways of looking information up. I think the one thing bad about the internet is finding a source that is not reliable. A good source that I have found helpful on the internet is ebsco host which is a search engine that is very reliable. The internet is helpful only when using it for the right reasons. The internet is only going to keep getting inhanced and may someday lead to a way of learning for example online classes.
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