"Mind Over Mass Media"
Do you agree with Pinker that
"[t]he effects of consuming electronic media are...likely to be far more
limited than the panic implies"? Or do you think we need to be more
concerned about the world's steady diet of information that is
fast-paced but lacking depth?
This article was quite interesting. I completely agree with the part where it says that we usually are just skimming the surface by the use of technology, instead of diving into whatever we are learning. We do though know more and can pick up on things quicker by harnessing the technologies usefulness. So it goes both ways.
ReplyDeleteNelson M.
What do you think? Is technology really diminishing the average intelligence?
ReplyDeleteNelson M
Technology has the ability to make us lazier but it is up to us whether or not we us it in this way. It has brought us so far as a species but we have to be careful or else no one will end up leaving their house anymore.
DeleteJeremy B.
I think technology could make us dimmer, but that all depends on how we use it. If people use it to increase their knowledge then no it doesn't, but if people only use to talk to others all day every day I could see it decreasing their intelligence.
DeleteI don't think technology is diminishing general intelligence, but more of the work ethic necessary to obtain this knowledge and intelligence.
DeleteJoanna M.
I would be interested to see some newer statistics on the average reading speed of e-readers. The information in the article is a little old and most of the new readers have much crisper and better displays.
ReplyDeleteJeremy B.
strike this comment. Sorry I thought I was in the e-reader post.
DeleteJeremy B.
Technology has the ability to make us all genius', in particular fields that is. Never in history has anyone had so much access to so much information. In our hands we hold the ability to know everything! It's insane.
ReplyDeleteJeremy B.
I agree that technology is getting more and more advanced, and it is completely amazing to see what our world has been able to accomplish with it. But I also agree that if we are not careful with how we are spending our time on the technology we have, we will become obsessed. In fact, I think many people today are already obsessed with their phones, computers, ipods etc. It is becoming rediculously easy to stay at home and sit on your butt all day.
DeleteKerri F.
I second that. It is almost unimaginable the access we have to virtually anything.
DeleteJoanna M.
I agree, but the time we spend looking up all the information we get sidetracked and spend so much more time than we expect.
DeleteSydney C
With all the technology that is coming out today, what do you think our children will grow up with? Will it be weird listening to our kids tell us how old we must be if we had laptops when we were in college? My parents remember when tvs first came out.
ReplyDeleteKerri F.
I know what you mean! Mrs. Whitby was talking about typewriters and I just couldn't comprehend how much effort that would take. I'm so glad I have backspace.. I wonder if the next generation will get new things that are better, and we'll cling to our technology like paperback books?
DeleteAlyssa H
With access to anything we could ever want to know or need to know, I think if we our technology for knowledge we could all be quite intelligent. If we all took time, me included, we could know so much...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with that I think that with this tech. We can actually learn more in different subjects. that can help us a lot.
DeleteCraig N
That makes a lot of sense! I agree hands down. All we need to do is learn how to use technology for an educational purpose, not just for chatting.
DeleteI definitely agree that technology in a sense "dumbs" down the depth of the information we take in. Considering the amount of information society expects us to take in and process, is this necessarily a bad thing? if the information was super detailed and deep there would be an argument that we don't take in all the needed information. its a lose lose argument in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI respect the authors point of view on technology but, I don't agree with how internet has taken our brain power and our ability to go more in depth in research away. I think the internet is used to further that research in the sense that it can help us understand what other people think about the topic.
ReplyDeleteKatherine B.
I agree with the author on the fact that it is a matter of self-control,sure it may be harder now with all of the cool distracting apps, but still, people need to learn to manage their time the same as they did in the earlier days before fancy technology.
ReplyDeleteJ. Cooper
I think that people are beginning to panic for no reason. The use of technology is a good thing and helps us research topics more proficiently. People just need to exercise their self-control while on the internet.
ReplyDeleteJacob P.
I think there is no reason to panic. Technology is always developing and is useful in our everyday lives. Like the article suggests, using self-control is a way to calm the panic and use technology for the resources rather than just wasting time.
ReplyDeleteMorgan W
I think they people who get distracted easily will end up being the worst procrastinators ever. I know when I'm typing an essay, I'll end up opening the internet with multiple tabs of social networking sites open and then I completely forget my essay and end up freaking out that I never finished my homework.
DeleteNataly S.
I tempt to do the same when I know I should be focusing on my assignments. It definitely comes down to having self control over technology so that we don't become such procrastinators.
ReplyDeleteKatherine B.
Does Pinker have a point? Do we rely to much on technology, do we try and retain the things that we research on the internet, and do you think that powerpoint is a good thing?
ReplyDeleteDavid B