Has the internet made us dumber or smarter?

[Mark McMichael]

Yes TS, I agree with you OP.

We are dumber but have more information at our finger tips to save us.

But overall, take the internet away as a resource and test people today versus people in the early 90's or before and they would know a lot more and be a lot more resourceful in getting info and answers.

 

[Spounman]

Exponentially dumber.

 

[Robocok]

It's made dumb people appear smart

Wouldn't you have to be stupid to be fooled by them?

 

[surrealworlds]

Neither. The internet has become(has always been?) a tool of control. Collectively we are being entertained so in a way...dumber? Its not really the right word. Smart people are being entertained also.

 

[My name is]

Wouldn't you have to be stupid to be fooled by them?

average

 

[Oliver Clothesoff]

On the positive? It's great for self help on tech support and all types of issues. There's always someone out there who's had the same problem as you and has found a way to solve it. It's opened up countless opportunities for entrepreneurism.

On the negative: It's given a platform for idiots to combine their views with other idiots to make one big giant group of idiots.

Side note: To see which group you're a part of ask yourself this question. Did you read the other responses in this thread before or after your offered your own opinion? Therein lies your answer.

 

[GSP_37]

The dumb will get dumber, the smart will get smarter. The reason is the smart recognize bullshit and propaganda.

 

[THEfightsAREfixed]

To separate the trend of rising IQ and the effect of the Information Age on the general populace would be close to impossible but obviously we are getting smarter from many metrics. The real effect of the internet seems to be making people more available to targeted info and spoon feeding that gives the impression people are idiotic, because even though it was designed as a sandbox most people use the internet “on rails”.

 

[Krixes]

I see a lot of people who must've been bullied growing up because they're angry, and negative... Sorry, I guess that doesn't really answer much....

 

[Wrath of Foamy]

I think that we have become more efficient, but only with using tools.

Also, our attention spans are shorter, due to browsing habits.