Stoopid is as stoopid does

I can't, necessarily, buy into the fact Google or any other medium is making us dumber. But the concept is an interesting debate nontheless, yes it's one word, just Google it to see. I liked Darlin take on what passed media sources have done to our collective thought processes. Socrates feared the impact of writing would eliminate man's ability to think. Every new medium that has come along has had it early adaptors and those that believed it would be th eend of life as we know it. There's a reason why only the rich and powerful were able to read and printed bibles used to be chained to the churches. Google it, I'm sure it's true. Information is powerful.

Some technology, not so much. During Hurricane Ike I scanned through the cable channels for a quick update on what was going on. The reporters had positioned themselves in front of a building with an awning, the reporter was making a huge deal how during the course of their stay there the awning had been ripped to shreds and even took a few minutes to allow veiwers at home to watch the torn awning blow in the wind. The need for these networks to get tyhe scoop and be there live has made all of us a bit less smart. But just think if I were able to get that information Twittered to me, I'm sure my life would have changed significantly.

I agree with Darlin about the age we are living in, a knowledge-based society. I not sure watching an awning blow in the wind due to the effects of a hurricane is knowledge. Certainly not knowledge that wouldn't have already been obvious to even the dumbest Googler. Attention is a valued commodity, but when you show me awnings blowing in the wind my attetion and eyeballs are going somewhere else, probably Nick@Nite. But just like any other medium throughout human time writing, printing, computing and Googling make life easier to think and communicate.

I will leave you with an example of how technology has made at least one person dumber.