Dumbing Down
Is all this technology actually making us dumber… Could all this ground breaking innovation, that has become a part of our daily lives (our whole lives) -- that smartphone, iPad, laptop.., be to our own detriment. Thinking for ourselves and exercising our brain.., is a crucial part of life.
Don't get me wrong...
Im a fan of technology. I don't have a problem with it… It's a little over-kill when you see a 11 - 12 year little girl having a nervous break down because her mother took her smartphone away… I saw this on the street yesterday, right by the TCKTS booth in Times Square. And when the mother told the little girl she couldn't have her smartphone back for a whole week -- I thought she started to hyper-ventilate.
With all this access to information (anything) right at our finger tips 24/7 we are certainly better off… Are you lost? Not for long. Need cheap tickets, no problem. Need a place to crash, you got it. You have it all, right in the palm of your hand.., and yes, it has for damn sure benefited all of us…
And on one level as made us even smarter… You heard me -- smarter. If you transported the average child of today back to the 1950's, he would be considered beyond gifted. And a child from the 1950's in todays world would be severely handicapped. Part of our intellect has had to evolve to keep up with the complex world we live in, today. Lets just say.., the 1950's were a simpler time…
maybe we could understand something.” ― Federico Fellini
REALLY...
- 90 per cent of us are suffering from digital amnesia.
- 70 per cent of people don't know their children's phone numbers by heart
- 49 per cent have not memorised their partner's number
- And the FAA is even saying that over-automation is making pilots less capable
We have adapted (our intellect has) to the explosion of technology.., and are able to acquire and process much more information, than ever before and we can do it faster and more efficiently.., that would be our -- Fluid Intellect. All the complexities of our world, are just part of our daily lives… From the gazillion different things bombarding you as you walk through Times Square. To a subway in Tokyo -- it's just part of everyday life.
But how much of this information actually gets absorbed… How much of it actually becomes -- knowledge. Crystalized Intellect.., the stuff that sticks in your head and becomes part of you -- have we outsourced knowledge, to be faster and more efficient… Have we sped up and dumbed down… I mean, one of the biggest problems people can have today -- is there smartphone dying, running out of juice.
We have all been there -- "FUCK, my phone is dead! We've all seen grown people freak-out because they can't find a place to charge their smartphone… What I should have said is -- finding a place to plug-in is one of the biggest problems we face today. That's really all we need to store in our brain.., everything else is right in our hand -- as long as there's a connection.
rather than upon mere survival." -- Aristotle
Technology will no doubt continue to progress.., making things (information) even more accessible than it already is -- giving us even less of a reason to actually retain any of this information -- gain any knowledge. The lack of willingness to even solve any sort of complex problem with our own knowledge.., is being chipped away.
Concentration and contemplation are becoming things of the past… We crave stimulation, we are hungry for it… With all this information, we really only have time for quick hits of information -- and then on to the next -- are focus is going the way of the dinosaur, too. We are trading surfing and searching for -- engagement. Engagement is too slow.., we need to tweet, update, instagram -- whatever… And yes, why our skill to process all these "new" things has been honed and will most likely continue to flourish…
It's our thoughts, that are at risk… Losing our thoughts -- having them replaced with the latest gadget. With our ability to focus decreasing, making it harder and harder to concentrate -- we are losing out on the richness of our own thoughts. They are becoming weak and disjointed. Only by paying close attention can we absorb the details of our lives… Creating and relating memories, that help us define who we are…
-- Albert Einstein
With the amount of distraction continuing to grow.., we are setting the stage for a very real problem, in the not so distant future -- the death of the intellect. Are we on our way to becoming empty shells, only accessing information at the exact time we need it -- never retaining the knowledge that contributes to our very existence -- our experience on this earth…
There's nothing wrong with technology -- but I guess, what bothers me about it is --our dependency on it. That lightly skimming information is becoming our dominant mode of thought, instead of contemplation or reflection. We are robbing ourselves of the richness, the details only made your own with the finest of thought. Besides all that.., in the next decade or so, kids will have no sense of direction, at all -- why should they, there is GPS everywhere (kinda sad)! The loss of our intellect, is not only a loss to ourselves -- but a detriment to society. All this for what -- another iPhone…
REFERENCE:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/11/01/how-teens-do-research-in-the-digital-world/
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/07/13/science.1207745
http://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/smart-technology-making-us-dumb
Image Source: 1 2 3
Regarding your remarks about the fifties...how old are you?
Not quite that old. Im a child of the 70's...
oh?
but you speak about how 'simple the life' of the fifties was.....as if with some authority.
Didn't mean to come off as an authority on the 50's... But for some reason, I've spent so much time with people from that era -- friends, family, neighbors... And although every era had and has it's issues to deal with.., it just sounds like it was a less complex time... Cheers!
You can't blame knives for stabbing people. The problem lies in the people , not the technology.
Yep -- people have to take responsibility... But the constant onslaught of new and better and bigger, is so relentless.., you can feel like a bit of a dinosaur if you don't keep up!
Superb narrative!
On the reverse side of the coin, I think that access to real news has enlightened people as opposed to dumbing down. But, the result is that there are a lot of angry people because of it. It is desensitizing people. I see it every day, in the way that people act, the way they drive their cars, their lack of empathy. People are angry with the corruption in our government.
More of like a robbing...
Cheers @michaelstobiersk!
Sad, but so true..... ☆☆☆☆☆😎
I've been thinking about this lately! I need to read this more closely once I have the time.
Great post. This is a topic I find myself thinking about often. I really need to replace my smartphone battery. At the same time, I am putting it off because the poor battery life forces me to choose when to use my phone. I can't just have it out all the time or my battery will die and I'll be without a phone for the rest of the day. That's my way of forcing myself to engage with what's around me.
That works... Thanks @vir!
thoughtful post as always @macksby, I've wondered if while we get smarter with our capacity to use technology and grow to handle more stimulation, are we losing our focus, our intuition, our capacity to innovate and create? All of those skills are borne from an absence of stimulation and overstimulation can actually diminish our ability to access these other parts of our brains that are also brilliant but just in a different way. Anyway, thanks for the food for thought!
It gets harder and harder to unplug, everyday...
Thanks @natureofbeing :))
Great article! I think about this a lot too. I think it's all in the way you use technology...don't let it use you. If you can stay the master you're good. Until ai is smarter than humans, that is ;-)
That's a fine line -- does your tech own you... Or do you own it -- hmmm... :))
great post, and not just because I happen to agree with it ;>
combine the easy access to info with the special snowflake educational system, and people dont have any incentive to use their own brains
And it's only going to get even easier, not to use your mind...
Thanks @stevescoins
I don't think technology is making people dumber. It just allows people to broadcast their stupidity and magnify their incivility.
As for the phone numbers, how many passwords and keycodes do epople need to remember nowadays? Storing phone numbers in a phone contact list is not a sign of mental weakness by any means, especially when we all know people who change numbers almost monthly anyway.
Makes us lazy and more disconnected than ever. Who would have thought?
Leave it to us stupid humans to screw up all this great technology... :))
Great Post!
Thank you :))
Great post @macksby. The dilemma is now the genie has been released from the bottle, people are addicted to technology and there's no turning back. I really hope we get to the point where we use it in a more balanced way. I wonder if there will ever be a backlash, a segment of society that steps back en masse and purposefully unplugs and drops out?
Oh yeah -- no putting that genie back in the bottle... And the tech is just going to get crazier. Eventually, I think there might have to be a backlash...
Hi @macksby, I just stopped back to let you know your post was one of my favourite reads today and I included it in my Steemit Ramble. You can read what I wrote about your post here.
Thank you...
Children are so intelligent and resilient. My stepson the other day said "we all (five kids of mine) like you because your the one adult not constantly on their phone." Our kids are growing up too fast while we are watching the next viral upload or tweeeting our lunch picture or aimlessly checking Facebook. Watch adults in the world... they stopped playing with their kids. The answer to this problem is to engage a child and actually play with them without your phone in the room. Spend thirty minutes with your child or a niece or nephew a week without your phone present doing what they want to do. You'll be amazed at how intelligent and caring our children can be. :) all the best.
Great advice @kristy1
Cheers!
Thank you for posting @macksby. Agreed...if one may add to the resulting dialogue; an excellent book on the subject is...The Shallows...written by Nicholas Carr.
https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/0393072223
Thanks @bleujay -- I'll check it out!
This is not "technology makes us dumber" but more "how we use thecnology in a way that makes us dumber" nice article!
So I guess.., it's individual responsibility...
Cheers, @lionking93
I've had similar thoughts about this. In fact, one thing that is missing that you mentioned, engagement, includes phone calling. People don't do that anymore, or reserve it only for their significant others or business. I have been saying that our modes of communication to each other are becoming slower. We spoke face to face, then via phone, then via chat (AOL, IRC), then via text message. So much get's lost in translation, but it is convenient for people to be in control of their conversations rather than communicate. We are basically losing our humanity.
I hear ya @professorx... I got "Merry Christmas" text messages from my family -- not even a voice mail. Our humanity has been eroding, from this lack of human engagement... Normal social behaviors, that we learn from one another, are being by-passed for snap-chat... :))
very nice article. Makes you think.
I know -- it's not a pretty picture...
Thanks @cyberpirate
Technology made things easier for us but made us lazy at the same time
very good article
Tech has definitely done great things for many aspects of our lives...
But a lazy mind is definitely not a good thing!
Thanks @bbkoopsta :))