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Jude Raj Professor Malcolm Campbell English 1102 1 April 2013

Technology makes us smarter Whenever I want to learn about something, the first word that pops into my mind is Google. This is because I have become very dependent on Google and the internet for quick, accurate information. It was not surprising when I learned that this was the same word that popped into my peers heads as well. This is due to the fact that our generation is exposed to a variety of advanced technology such as smartphones, laptops, and the internet. Some people view technology as a negative influence because it makes us lazy since its much easier to Google the category of interest instead of going out to the nearest library and checking out a book. With the decline of books and reading, people soon start jumping to conclusions that technology is unhealthy and restricting our learning ability. This, however, does not have to be the case. While technology may make life easier, it does not do anything to hinder your learning. In fact, it can make you smarter! Many experiments have been done to show that the brain is more activated when on the internet or using a computer. Scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles have done a particular experiment on this topic. They took people within the age range of 55-78 and put them into two groups, the experimental and control. The experimental group had to spend at least two hours on the internet every day for a week. The control group did not use the internet during this time period. The scientists compared this experimental group with a control group and found that the experimental group made improvements with memory power and decision-making. They

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did this by performing MRI scans before and after the week of testing. In conclusion with the experiment, the scientists determined that the internet can help improve ones intelligence and ability to learn (Gaudin). This is an incredible discovery because it shows that the internet does play a role in stimulating the brain. This shatters any claim that the internet is hindering learning when, in fact, the internet is actually exercising the brain. This also shows that the internet is not a waste of time; it is actually a benefit for the human brain. Although the experiment is a great piece of evidence, many counterarguments can be made that the experiment only involved older people and does not prove that this works for the younger generation. However, these counterarguments are missing a viewpoint. If the scientists did use younger people with this same experiment, it would not work because there is too much variable change among the youth. The youth live in the present digital age and are already exposed to the internet. So if the experiment applied to the youth, there would be too many differences and the experiment would end up invalid. The older people are a perfect group to test because they have not been affected entirely by the booming digital age. They provide a great group to actually study the effects of technology which is why the scientists ended up using them in the experiment. It wasnt by accident that the scientists chose the older group of the general population. However, according to Gaudin, scientists are currently working on developing an experiment to test with the younger generation (Gaudin). Though the experiment does not have proof for the youth of the world, it is still a breakthrough and is beginning to challenge commonly held negatives about the internet and technology. While the experiment done by the UCLA scientists backs up technology from a biological background, so does social science. Chuck Kinzer, director of University of Columbias Teachers College program in communication, firmly believes that the internet is

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inherently motivating. He explains how people want to use their smartphones and computers to learn more. By studying human interactions with technology, he hopes to understand the core principles of how learning happens. One project that he is currently working on is a study on a game called Lit2Quit. His students developed this game in an attempt to engage the areas of the brain that are activated when people smoke. The game involves similar breathing practices and hand gestures that are involved in smoking. This offers smokers a likewise experience that smoking would offer, but only without the risks of smoking. By using this game, they hope to achieve an effective therapy treatment for people who are addicted to smoking (Levine). This game is an example of a way that technology is helping the present generation rather than hurting it. Kinzer and his students show how the internet is inherently motivating by studying and performing experiments such as Lit2Quit. By proving that the internet is motivational, they also support the fact that it helps motivate people to learn more. This learning is the greatest benefit that technology has on our population. For example, school and library are excellent sources of education that have the potential to increase an individuals intelligence tremendously. However even with these great sources, many people are not as smart as they can be. The problem is not with education the school or library offers, but with the way it presents it. Schools and libraries are not fundamentally interesting in nature, but technology is. Technology is not only made up of information like schools and library, but it also has the addition of interest and motivation. This is what gives technology the upper hand, and this is also precisely what Kinzer and his students are trying to understand why. Some people overlook that internet and other forms of technology are just like schools and libraries with vast opportunities to learn. Because it is more appealing to us, technology makes us smarter.

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While evidence in psychology and biology seem to support the claim that technology is making us smarter, research in the same fields also seem to support the opposite claim. This claim is that the internet is harmful to an individuals education and learning. An article written by Claudia Ehrenstein published on Worldcrunch talks about the question on whether or not the internet makes you dumb. She talked about a well-known scientist, Dr. Manfred Spitzer, who believes the internet and use of digital technology makes individuals dumb. He uses the phrase digital dementia to describe his theory. Dr. Spitzer claims to have performed many tests and studies on the topic. Spitzer has written a book and has gathered a large amount of information according to the article. His study mainly focuses on one aspect that he believes decreases intelligence which is multitasking. He firmly believes that multitasking is not something that should be encouraged for the future because focused concentration is necessary. The article goes on to talk about how Spitzer believes that classrooms should ban digital use of technology in the classroom and how people should rely more on physical activities rather than computers (Ehrenstein). In a broad perspective, Dr. Spitzer has a very extreme viewpoint since he strongly believes that the entire internet is bad. This is extreme because when considering this topic, we can see that scientists researching this topic are usually in a middle ground on whether the internet makes you smarter or not. However, Dr. Spitzer firmly adheres to the fact that internet makes you dumb. He also is a legitimate icon on the subject due to the fact that he has written the book and has accumulated a large amount of scientific information to support his thesis. The fact, however, is that all of his factual data do support his thesis that the internet does cause multitasking. Believe it or not, he is definitely right about his thesis! However, this does not necessarily mean that the internet is making you dumber. This is where I believe Dr. Spitzer is

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incorrect. He firmly states that Multitasking is not something we should be encouraging in future generations (qtd in Ehrenstein). Multitasking, while it does displace focus, is actually a skill that is essential for future generations. We have reached an age where more work is expected in less time out and the ability to multitask is necessary. Thus, the internet is teaching a very valuable skill and as a result, making us smarter. This is proven by a concept called Open Source Intelligence. A document written by two professors, Michael Glassman and Min Ju Kang, explains the concept of Open Source Intelligence as a way of problem solving in the 21st century. The theory behind OSINT is the ability of humans to search for, gather, and organize information. The article claims that this is important for humans because it allows us to find quick solutions to problems and avoid using other exhaustive means of finding a solution. The article goes on to talk about how OSINT is developing and starting to increase in the current generation because of the use of technology. The article states that the internet sharpens OSINT in humans because of search engines such as Google. Since the internet is a vast source of information, people who use it train their skills to find their desired information and use it to their advantage. By doing this, the article claims that our generation has turned out to be smarter because of our ability to solve problems using OSINT (Glassman and Kang). This is an interesting article because of this new concept that Glassman and Kang come up with. Open Source Intelligence is a great theory that defines this generation because we have never been more attached to computers and technology than during this time period. One can only imagine how much more dependent we will be in the future. Instead of looking at this dependence as a minus like Dr. Spitzer, they look at what positives technology has. Thus, they come up with OSINT and explain how it can be used for problem solving. This is the fact that I

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found the most interesting in the whole journal article because it shows how we are going through a change. In the past, people would concentrate on one specific source of information such as a specific book. There is nothing wrong with this except that it kills time and people run the risk of not even finding out the specific information that they were looking for. The internet, however, allows for quick access to different sources of information. By skimming these sources, we can find solutions to problems and learn a lot faster. This is precisely the example that OSINT supports. This theory also undermines Dr. Spitzers claim that the internet is making us dumber because it clearly shows how the internet benefits the human brain. This is also a great article that counters Dr. Spitzers stand on the subject because it goes down the same path he went to criticize the internet. Glassman and Kang have done research on the internet and explain how the internet allows for searching, gathering, and organizing of information. OSINT is the ability to do all this and so by understanding OSINT, we understand a new way to learn. By stating this, they also refer to multi-tasking which is precisely what Dr. Spitzer mentions too. However, the difference in this case is that Glassman and Kang support the fact that multitasking is a plus, not a minus. If Dr. Spitzer understands that the multitasking he believes is so wrong is actually the foundation of OSINT, then I am sure he can see how the internet makes us smarter as individuals. I am not disapproving any of his research, but only trying to present a perspective. Technology whether we choose to believe it or not improves our intelligence and smartness. Experiments such as the one tested in UCLA show how our brain is more activated when we are surfing the internet. Also, the psychology behind technology explained by Dr. Kinzer shows how technology motivates us to learn more. Though we might not be learning in the same way we did in the past, we are learning in new and different ways. People such as Dr.

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Spitzer that disapprove that the internet can make us smarter only believe in what they believe because of a closed viewpoint. The only way to learn doesnt have to be concentrated focus on a criterion. This is where Open Source Intelligence comes in and shows how the human brain is actually improving through different pathways. Whether we know it or not, every time we use our android phone or surf the web, we are exercising our brain and becoming smarter!

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Works Cited Ehrenstein, Claudia. "Does The Internet Make You Dumb? Top German Neuroscientist Says Yes - And Forever." Worldcrunch. DIE WELT, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.

Gaudin, Sharon. "Using the Internet Makes People Smarter, Study Finds." Computerworld. N.p., 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.

Glassman, Michae, and Min Ju Kang. Intelligence in the Internet Age: The Emergence And Evolution of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). Computers in Human Behavior 28.2 (2012): 673-682.Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.

Levine, Joe. "TC Media Center from the Office of External Affairs." Learning Because We Want To. Columbia University, 1 May 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.