Duncan Riley, in his article, picked up a story about a Novel laureate saying "internet is making us dumb". After reading the article, I thought about the internet's effect in my life, and I came to conclusion that maybe it's making me dumb.
Probably about half the time I'm on the internet, I'm emailing people, using facebook, chatting, using skype, twitter, etc, it's not related to anything academic. And they are time consuming. I think that if there weren't any sites like this I could be more productive and have accomplished more things than I could ever imagine in those times that I use internet. And the other half of time I'm using internet, I am using it for academic reasons (blackboard, aplia, and researching) because I have to do it. For my classes. I don't really remember the last time I went on the internet spontaneously to learn anything that's academic (like, reading online academic journals).
But then I realized, maybe internet is not making me dumb, I choose to be so. I think most of people have heard a saying "guns don't kill people, but people do". I think it's like that. Internet is there, and how we use it is for us to choose. If we choose to spend 12 hours on facebook instead of studying, that's what we choose to do, and it will make us dumb. If we choose to use internet as an academic source, it's going to be the greatest tool you'll ever get. I don't think we should blame technology for how we are or how we became, because it's not like the technology itself has made us dumb.
What Harry Means to Me
12 years ago
I am the same way! But I agree with you in that it's not the Internet's fault. I could be doing something educational, but instead I choose to read silly blogs and be on Facebook. We're just not utilizing the Internet's full potential.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you. I think the Ineternet is like blackhole. When I start it, I can never stop, doing as you said, Facebook, reading gossips like that. But we don't learn and get information only by visiting academic sites, because during searching other stuff, we think, discuss and apply them to real world.
ReplyDeleteThat's right. We have to study by Internet, but we don't, even if professors give us lots of homework by uploading materials on blackboard. People who don't exploit the useful method are us, not the Internet.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's true that I also don't use it :(The Internet is like blackhall! I can't go out when I start Facebook...
I am So sorry, but whenever I comment your blog, the first one disappears, and after commenting another one, it appears! it's so weird.. That's why I write two comments at every post of yours..
ReplyDelete