A difficult question arises. What’s your first move? If you’re like me, you’ll grab your laptop, or pull out your smart phone and search for the answer to the question. It kind of makes you wonder how we got by without the internet. And an even bigger question to ponder; how is this affecting the strength of my brain? Is the internet dumbing down our cognitive processing power? By jumping straight to the internet, are we taking the easy road and using the internet in place of our own memory?
I wonder if these same questions arose with the invention of the calculator. In a way, it’s very similar to running to the internet for answers. Instead of going through the mathematical equations in our brains, we simply punch in the numbers and voila; instant results. Now obviously the internet far exceeds the calculator (in fact, by entering most equations in Google, you can get the answer using Google’s Calculator feature), but the concept is basically the same. We’re putting our minds to rest and relying on technology to give us the answers instead.
So is it a bad thing to let technology do the thinking for us? Is this truly damaging our brains? Are we at the beginning stages of a world ruled by technology like many science fiction films portray? It may not be as bad as we think. Columbia University psychologist Betsy Sparrow performed a study that tested the information retention of several subjects. The subjects were given certain bits of information, afterwards a message would display letting the subject know what folder the information was stored in. After the study, it was found that the subjects could remember where the information was stored, but often could not remember the information itself. I know that I can personally relate to this study. I have all of my information sorted on my own computer, as well as documents stored in online databases like www.dropbox.com. I also have bookmarks and tabs in my browser to resources that I use regularly. I know exactly where they are and what each one provides. In addition to the resources I save externally, I also save a list of websites that I know are valuable resources internally, in my brain (www.google.com to name one). So perhaps it’s not that we’ve become lazy-brained, maybe we’ve just found a better use for our memory. Knowing your way around the resources of the internet can expand your understandings of just about anything, far better than going to a library or even relying on a knowledgeable person. Because in person you’re only communicating with one, but online you have the option of seeking multiple sources, most with credentials that are available online.
The internet has truly reshaped the way we retrieve and retain knowledge. The very words I’m writing in this article are built from my interpretation of information and knowledge I’ve acquired from the internet. The information was found using my preferred search engine and the links have been provided below so that you can retain this information as well, if you so choose. As our technology has evolved from simple calculations to a World Wide Web of information, it may bring one to ask, “What can we expect next?” It’s believed that by 2020 we could have a computer with the processing power of the human brain – as of June 2011, the Japanese company Fujitsu produced a computer capable of about 40% the processing power of a human brain called K Computer - and possibly by 2055 we’ll have a personal computer with the processing power of all human brains. Is that a scary thought?
Are you embracing the future of information or do you fear the overwhelming power of a computer brain? If you have an opinion on this subject, please share in a comment on this post.
Sources:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=internet-transactive-memory
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/tech/k/
