Jane Doe
Address
City
8/12/2020
John Doe
Address
City
Dear John,
Re: Is the Internet Making Us Stupider?
The reason for writing this letter to you is to discuss and take a stand on the issue at hand, which is if the internet is making us dumber. First of all, the internet has every information that we would ever want to search for; even if some times, the results do not come as clear as I would like them to appear. Hence, this saves us a lot of time that we could have wasted while searching for the same information in a physical library or a book store. Therefore, I believe that the internet does not make us stupider, but it makes things easier during research for a particular project or any activity that would need information. Many individuals believe that the internet is making us dumber because we rely on it for almost everything. This includes shopping, interacting with friends through social media platforms, and researching for almost all information, among others. But in my opinion, this does not make us dumber because the internet aims to make things and activates easier and faster.
I know there are also a lot of negative things that are displayed by the internet, or the people believe the internet is not appropriate. However, every advancement has its shortcomings, no matter how many benefits it has. Some of these shortcomings include cybercrimes, exposure to explicit content, and the dark web. These shortcomings have hindered many individuals from using the internet through the experience they might have had with it. For example, many people have been conned through the internet through cybercrime. This is where cybercriminals steal or breach other people’s accounts or information to the public for the sole benefit of money or revenge. Hence, it has made many people hate the internet because they have experienced the bad side of it. Also, other people say that the internet makes us lazy or idle because everything we need is on the click of a button or link, and it appears.
Another thing that makes individuals feel like the internet is making us stupider is the decisions we are “forced” to make when reading an article on a particular website. There could be specific options like “click this, share that or watch this for more information.” Some individuals say that these options force someone to do something they do not want but have no other choice because another essential information is covered on that link. However, I do not believe that is true because it’s a decision that one has to make. If one feels to click that particular link, then they will click it, and if they do not want to, it is not a must. Everything on the internet is optional. How one chooses to perceive certain information or do a particular activity from the internet is their decision. Hence, no one is led or forced to chose anything when it comes to the internet.
I believe the information we choose to research or learn from the internet has reshaped our way of thinking. Some of the information from the internet might not correspond with that the ones found in books or printed journal. But most people tend to believe the one that is easily accessible and updated compared to the ones in books and journals that are outdated. The internet also produces updated information because the world is evolving now and then. Technology is advancing, and so are the daily activities around human beings. Hence, moving with the wave of advancement is the way to go because it opens us to new possibilities and opportunities that we could never have imagined we would have had (Athreya & Mouza, 2017).
The web is simply a part of the Internet that contains webpages and websites. It includes a system of internet servers that support certain formatted documents. The web works by using an application protocol known as the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to transmit data and share information. Knowledge discovery from the web is simply the process of discovering useful and previously unknown knowledge from the data web. Knowledge discovery is one of the uses of the web, and most people prefer using the web for easier access to research materials full of information. Thus, this allows it to be a more abundant and friendlier resource that we can share and explore to our level best.
Another reason why I think that the internet does not make us dumber is the advancement of technology which has given rise to social media through internet-enabled smartphones that enable people to browse through all social media networks by sharing opinions, real-time events, and photos. Social media sites have affected how people live, make decisions, and conduct business because of its uniqueness. For instance, today, people check their social media for the latest news updates on sites like Twitter. In contrast, others use sharing networks like Facebook to create brand awareness for their businesses. The sites have allowed people to access suggestions and opinions from people who have used a particular service or product. Today, many organizations have discovered that social media platforms can be used to increase brand awareness and influence their customers’ decision-making process.
Before social media sites, people used to rely on close friends, relatives, and sometimes TV commercials for opinions regarding a service or product before deciding on purchasing the item. With the rise of the internet and social media, opinions regarding a service or product are popularized through electronic word of mouth, social media influencers, and trusted sources of information. Therefore, I believe that the has not made us stupider, preferably, it has made things and activities easier for us, the more the technology advances.
Yours Sincerely,
Jane Doe
Reference
Athreya, B. H., & Mouza, C. (2017). Internet and Thinking. In Thinking Skills for the Digital Generation (pp. 89-104). Springer, Cham.