I recently read two articles that contained opposing viewpoints. Shirky believes that the internet is increasing human intelligence because we have digital media at our fingertips. On the other hand, Carr suggests that the internet and/or Google is causing people to be disengaged and poor readers. So the question is this: Where do I stand? As an avid user of internet, google, and many different forms of technology, I agree with Shirky.
With technology, people have the opportunity to further their knowledge at any point. We have a wealth of information at our fingertips. Shirky points out, “We are living through a similar explosion of publishing capability today, where digital media link over a billion people into the same network. This linking together in turn lets us tap our cognitive surplus, the trillion hours a year of free time the educated population of the planet has to spend doing things they care about. In the 20th century, the bulk of that time was spent watching television, but our cognitive surplus is so enormous that diverting even a tiny fraction of time from consumption to participation can create enormous positive effects.” We may not obtain all information from the internet. Like Shirky says, people spend much of their time watching television. However, they are still learning more than ever before.
In a world where technology is constantly changing and advancing, people are required to stay on their toes. The advancement of technology is encouraging people to think in different ways and further their education, not only technologically, but in other areas as well. Shirky states, “The past was not as golden, nor is the present as tawdry, as the pessimists suggest, but the only thing really worth arguing about is the future. It is our misfortune, as a historical generation, to live through the largest expansion in expressive capability in human history, a misfortune because abundance breaks more things than scarcity.” Shirky is right. We have the opportunity to look to the future as we better ourselves and further our education.
