Technology has unarguably created a huge impact on our lives. In the present day, many studies significantly showed internet affecting our intelligence as we use it on daily basis for various reasons in many ways. From receiving or passing information, to getting assistance in education and research field, from office work and banking to other needs like entertainment, traveling, keeping up with the happenings around the globe and current affairs; technology has shaped our lives in an entirely different spectrum and one of the biggest tools which has been used for playing the role is the internet.
It’s an undisputed fact and the one which has been established repeatedly that by improving the quality of it in the form of providing comfort and ease, however, the increasing dependency is silently taking a toll and it’s alarming. Overall, it’s believed that technology is making us smarter and wiser by providing us with newer things on daily basis, the increase in its need is harming us in a way that’s largely going unnoticed.
The internet Affecting our Brainpower
Internet has been one of the most significant creations of mankind. Internet affecting our brainpower is well accepted in today’s era and is no longer considered as an assumption. It does so by providing a sea of information just at a distance of a click and access to possibly everything one can ask for, internet has highly improved the life of an ordinary man. However, studies have shown that the increasing use of internet is also making a negative impact on our intelligence and overall our brain.
These days everything is evaluated in terms of the digital world. From templates for resumes to presentations and online libraries, from getting online consultations to benefiting from research related to health and wellness, from staying updated with the current affairs and politics to seeking what’s trending in lifestyle and fashion, from reading about the newer discoveries and inventions to investing in profitable projects and platforms – each and everything has been made easy for the common man in the comfort of his house. Although, there’s no denying that it has increased the success rate in the respective fields enormously, people have used the tools provided by the technological and digital world to make a significant progress in life, it’s also important to understand that the excessive use is crippling in disguise. It has not only increased one’s level of dependency upon these gadgets and the world of technology, it also alters one’s lifestyle to a sedentary mode and hence, the aftermath is seen in the form of health issues and slow cognitive activities. The ultimate fact that we can now access almost everything we need online should itself worry us. Since it’s an essential part of our day to day routine, it’s almost impossible for us to detect the underlying cause that has been created by the excessive usage of the internet. However, studies have shown that internet affects our intelligence has proven negative in most of the cases. It is explained as there’s an inverse relation between the use of technology and digital world and that of human’s brain and its competency. Everything in excess causes a negative impact and perhaps, that could be the biggest reason for the negative results seen in a human’s efficiency with respect to the usage of internet.
Is the fact “internet affects our mind” true?
Now the question arises, how exactly is internet affects our mind? There must be some concrete answering and reasoning to how there has been a negative outcome of the use of technology rather than seeing something positive and fruitful.
Well, the discussion is a long one and the one, that is subjective to debate. Many aspects come into consideration while equating the impact of today’s increasing demand of the use of the internet. It also considers an individual own perception and use of the internet and digital tools including one’s different demands and need of the lifestyle that he/she is living.
However, following are some of the ways where it is discussed as how the impact of internet upon a human’s intelligence has made a difference.
- Decreasing creativity and imagination:
The never-ending use of technology, especially when it comes to computers has significantly decreased one’s power of imagination and creativity and therefore consequently, a person’s brain power has been affected in a negative manner. When everything is being provided in the form of templates and pre-designed patterns, it decreases a person’s own power to think, imagine and create. For students, it’s difficult to keep originality in their work. Access to scholarly and research work is just a click way and it has hampered one’s ability to research and make. As a result, student preferably rely on copy pasting the content that’s already available and don’t put an effort in making and creating anything from their own imaginative and thinking abilities. Slowly, it’s turning the young brains into robots that feed on what is already provided ready made and harboring their own creative juices. Consequently, it has not only decreased human’s intelligence by reducing it to the already available content but also, the rate of plagiarism has alarmingly peeked. Nobody puts an effort to make their own original content but mainly relies on searching using Google and coping others work, simply stealing it.One’s intelligence and brain power is therefore constantly going down the hill because the easy access to everything required has made everyone to rely on the digital world and search engine rather than putting effort and coming up with something fresh and new of their own. The statement sounds correct when taken into the context of creativity.
- Increasing addiction of social networking:
Another way in which the statement fits true is the increasing urge to socialize excessively in the virtual world. People obsess over the number of likes and comments and hence so, it has created a false sphere where more and more people want validation from strangers online. People are constantly being judged by their peers in this fake race of social media.Everyone tries to impress the other person constantly. By putting up a false façade, everyone is under constant pressure to get acceptance from others. All are struggling to create an image that’s well synced with the changing trends and hence so, could be appreciated by others. This negative atmosphere greatly affects one’s ability to be own self. It also puts a negative impact on one’s intelligence and wit. It’s becoming progressively easier to put up an untrue image to the world and get validation.This robotic world online is exceedingly toxic as one has a pressure to keep up with the worldly standards.
- Robotic approach and sedentary lifestyle:
Another negative outcome of the internet is the promotion of sedentary lifestyle that subsequently damages one’s mental well being. The internet addiction has increased so much that everyone prefers sitting in front of their screens and are mostly glued to the virtual world of social media. This over use is leading to a decline in physical as well as mental fitness. People have started relying on the search engine for everything and their own intelligence as well as the ability to ponder, discuss and think has greatly reduced. Everyone likes to be given all things prepared. It’s not only increasing a slow, sedentary lifestyle with subsequent impact on fitness and well being but also, people’s mental wellness is greatly at stake. The human brain is always dealing with a constant stream of information influx. The constant and easy access to the stored information on the internet is atrophying memories of the people. As a result, human’s natural ability to ponder, create and reason is damaging. The inactive lifestyle eventually impacts the activity of human brain in a negative manner and hence, intelligence, memory, IQ and other mind abilities suffer. Psychologists suggest that the information we read on the internet during our lunch breaks or intervals is short termed. We mainly get used to absorbing limited text hastily from our screens and therefore, the ability of mind to read and ponder over detailed texts and longer reads gets compromised. Knowledge gained through this practice of surface absorption of a few lines on Twitter or Facebook doesn’t stay for long and is not that effective. The text is short, thoughts expressed are precise, hence read, swallowed and run further. This is why the expression “mnogabukaf”, coming out of the network and referring to it, reflects our incompetency to read something voluminous. All the same, this habit of surface reading and quick absorption of limited knowledge clogs the mind and its own innate power to create and think. Hence, the healthy practices of research and reading are taking back seat slowly whereas, short term memory of superficial intelligence is prevalent among the masses. An unhealthy and physically compromised body eventually makes a slow, sloppy and inactive brain. Hence, the internet not only hampers one’s fitness but also the mental power and therefore, proves to be true.
- Prevailing dependency on technology:
Whereas the access to unlimited information and knowledge at a distance of a single click is useful at one hand, on the other hand, it’s also pretty alarming to realize the fact that this practice is crippling in real and promotes the need to be dependent on an outside source. People are relying on what is already available and do not put any effort to create, research, read and come up with something original of their own. The sluggish approach hampers creative juices as well as brain power, resulting in a constant decrease in fresh content and originality. One needs to be actively working, productive and in constant search to learn from different resources in order to be able to produce new work. However, the increase use of internet has crippled a person’s quest to seek and therefore, it’s also taking its toll on human IQ and intelligence in a negative way.
Despite many benefits, proven trends and facts indicate that our customary reliance on the internet everyday is diminishing our originality, intelligence and high order thinking. Internet, with its altering stimulation and constant distraction is changing the way we think – and not for the good.
Five years ago, journalist Nicholas Carr wrote in his book “The Shallows: How The Internet Is Changing Our Brains” about how technology seemed to be eroding his ability to concentrate.
“Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words,” he wrote. “Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.”
In the book, which later became a New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Carr explored and discussed the many ways that technology might be affecting our brains. He became particularly interested in how the Internet seemed to be harming our ability to think deeply and to focus on one subject for extended periods. He also discussed how the shift in focus was brought because of the constant urge to be present online and in touch with the changing trends of technology.
Today, social media and digital devices have an arguably greater place in our lives and hold on our attention spans than they did in the previous years. The internet is a great influential tool and it is molding the thought process and intelligence of many including the academicians all over the world. Our beliefs, values, likes, dislikes, interests and every other aspect of cognitive behavioral pattern is greatly affected by the kind of content that we come across online.
In the words of Carr:
“To me, all the things I worried about have become much worse now that we carry around this permanently connected device that we’re constantly pawing at. Things are very different in a way that makes the things I worried about worse.”
Conclusion: How is Internet Changes the Way We Think?
The discussion concludes in one common agreement and that is – the impact of internet on one’s intelligence differs from one individual to other and in the end, it finally comes to one similar result that it’s use should be in moderation to avoid any negative outcome. If used properly, it’s significant for progress, gaining knowledge, seeking information and making great success, however, the excessive use and dependency can cause harm to one’s thinking and creative abilities – therefore, it’s encouraged to use it as a helping tool and not as a final resort.
on all sides.
