Is the internet really making us dumb?
With recent articles published, the educated society is being exposed to misleading sources that corrupt unfamiliar users. Using the internet to surf, we have become accustomed to skimming over things instead of reading into the details of the subject. This has caused shorter attention spans as well as destroying their appetites for novels and longer articles.
However, some could say that the internet does more good than harm. For example, it opens up a gateway for writers to be discovered and get their works published. It is what connects us to the rest of the world.
Do you believe that the internet does more harm than good?
Rodney M:
I believe that the internet does harm to society because it holds rumors from story editors that displays information that isn’t true and is misleading. It also brings out different issues that aren’t supposed to get out into the media, but somehow, it does, and it unfortunately spreads all over the world in a matter of seconds, days and weeks.
Matt B.:
I don’t necessarily believe that the internet does more harm to society than good. After all, it is the internet that enables the people of the U.S. to talk and exchange ideas as well as stories across continents in a timely manner. Without the internet, we will be forced to spend our time as students of knowledge, searching the libraries for several articles that may not even exist at that place at the given time.
Think of hundreds of college students searching the shelves of the local library for an article that was published five to one hundred years ago for a simple project. The fact is that the internet does mislead information, but one must take into account of all the information that isn’t misleading. Hundreds of years of accurate information of our past is stored in numerous databases around the world. How else would you access that information other than using the internet? Are you willing to drive over 500 miles to the Great Library?
The internet is for the good of society. The history of America's past as well as another country's is just a click away.
Danielle L.:
I believe that how the internet affects someone depends on that person. If people are open-minded and take everything they read with a grain of salt, then the internet should not affect them as it would a gullible person. If you believed everything you read, then the internet is really making you dumb. Some things are obviously nonsensical and should be avoided. If something sounds plausible, then do some more research on that topic.
Work Cited: “The Bryant Park Project.” NPR. 16 June 2008.
The topic is a good one, especially since, as students in higher education, you all must shuffle out the garbage from the legitimacy in your research, and that is no easy feat anymore thanks to the internet.
ReplyDeleteIt also opens up a new topic of discussion -- there are no longer adequate publishing standards anymore as a result. Editing is shoddy (think about it: everyone is lacking in grammar skills due to online text "short-hand"), and fact-checking is virtually obsolete and an impossibility ("facts" are checked using web sources that also use web sources for their own fact-checking and so forth).
Perhaps the question should be -- what constitutes as "valid" research anymore?
I think "valid" research is what is extracted from reliable sources. Like the PCC library website that allows us access to published, reliable works.
ReplyDeleteI read- alot. I love historical fiction because it's interesting and based on fact. There is an author that wrote a 3 part trilogy on the life of Josephine Bonaparte ( I sound like such a dork.), and when they asked her how she researches her characters, she said that she uses the internet as a jumping off point, and then really relies mostly on information that is researched in libraries, here in the U.S. and abroad, museums, time era experts etc.
I think that combining digital research and physical book research should be the student's responsibility, not a teacher/professor's requirement.
Ashley S.
So valid, online researched materials (e.g database source materials) have previously gone through the editorial loopholes of standard publishing?
ReplyDeleteI can agree with that.
I feel that it is true, people believe a lot of what they read because they are not looking for valid sources anymore, they arelooking for easy answers. Wikipedia is a case in point, of looking for a valid answer and getting what some random person decided to put as a response. The internet has its ups and downs. Its ups that almost everyone has it and anyone can access it. Its downs, the exact same reason. I guess people are too busy googling and such to simply go pick up a book on the subject. It comes down to what is easy, and what is right. Right in the sense of correct, and just.
ReplyDeleteI don't really believe that the internet is making us dumb. I believe that we are getting lazy, and want to take what we see on Wikipedia, Google, and Yahoo as truth, instead of diving into the books, published by reliable sources, but that is just the academic side of the internet. On the other hand we have sites like Web MD, where anyone with a mild cough can end up diagnosing themselves with Asthma and Bronchitis...
ReplyDeleteI think that it all depends on the person. The internet is not the first place that gullible people can find misinformation. What about tabloids and their sources? While I wait in check-out lines, I always wonder how people could believe what the tabloids say. The internet does make it much more difficult to check sources and stop the misinformation from spreading compared to tabloids. Overall, it really depends on the person and what they are willing to believe.
ReplyDelete--Lisa Langanke
I work in a public Library shelving books. Even though our library contains tons and tons of books catagorized and cataloged so that way everything can be found with ease, the internet is really irreplaceable for current up to date information. The IRS has every tax form you could need on their site (in case the Library doesnt have it), you can search for foreclosed houses in your area, or read commentary on Obamas latest speach; these are things you wont find published in a book for a while, if ever.
ReplyDeleteI do get upset when a child is doing a research paper, and the parent comes to the library with them, gets the student the minimum of books needed, and then says "we can get the rest on the internet." I want to scream at them! While I might direct someone to the internet to look for jobs ect, I always try to find the most reliable sources I can and never take the internet at face value.
However, my largest gripe with the internet is companies making applications online. I help so many elderly people a day trying to find jobs but they do not know how to fill out an application online. Or Florida Department of Children and Families making their application online as well, so many people still can't make sense of online applications. About 50% of people who come to the library to use the computer have not ever used one, ever.
The internet is a great tool that puts everything at our fingertips, and I beleive is most useful for current events and information. Because of the internet, I beleive that we have a huge need and always will need legitimate books and databases.
Jennifer Malone
I think that the internet is more helpful than harm. Yes there is junk on it that is not true, but there is stuff on the internet that is true. It is just a big store that has almost everything that you could want. It brings information to you that could take weeks for you to find in a book, right to you in a minute.
ReplyDeleteCastor B.
I believe that the person using the internet decides how much harm or good it will do to them personally.It can be a wonderful source of info but the person has to actually decide to not get sucked into all these false attention getting articles that fill peoples heads with inane ideas. I personally choose to pay attention to what I'm reading and make sure it's valid before I waste my time.
ReplyDeletewhether the internet does more harm than good depends completely on the person using it. Some books or magazines could be seen as doing harm in the same way as the internet. it is up to every individual to help themselves
ReplyDeleteI believe the internet does more harm than good when it comes to writing books and other knoledgable sources because people tend to put false information on the internet that can definetly hurts someone's intellegents.
ReplyDeleteI think the internet does more good than harm. yes there is junk on the internet, but just because it is there doesn't mean someone has to believe it.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that the internet is making us dumb, maybe some aspects of it but not really. There are so many informational sites out there to inform people about pretty much anything you can think of. There will always be junk pages but there will be more informal pages then junk ones...
ReplyDeleteI strongly feel that the Internet does more good then harm. The Internet is use for many different purposes. For example: ordering pizza, publish your work of art to the entire world and more. Here at PCC, you could register for classes online istead of waiting in line for hours for a counsler. Some people have become famous for their video submitted online. The Internet’s positive outways its negative.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the internet can be good, but more people use it for things that have no means in teaching us anything. Like myspace for example, many people go onto it and spend hours doing something that will never make you smarter. But there are some people who us the internet for good and put all the tasty information it has to offer us to good use.
ReplyDelete-Allison Kahler
The internet has many great things to offer the world now days, but too many people take advantage of it. It helps me with school and has anything I need to find on it, but other than that, Im not really a big internet user. Anyways, I think that in the right hands, the internet can be a wonderful thing.
ReplyDelete-Michael Kahler
Brittney Jarrell-MWF 9AM COMP2
ReplyDeleteI dont think the internet causes more harm than good. I couldn't live without it. The internet gives out so much usful information. I think it just matters about whos hands get on the internet. Some people will exagerate like crazy and do anything to make someone believe something.
Summer- MWF 9am
ReplyDeleteI think the internet can be good and bad. you just ahev to bee careful. It is a good tool for helping you come up with ideas or seeing different ways to approach that idea. When doing research for the topic be carful because ther are ficticous site out there. Wikipedia- people add their own info and it may not be intirely correct.
As far as entertainemnt,it's great. Have you be on PerezHilton.com lately... need I say more.
I think the internet can be good and bad. Depending on what you're reading and if you fully believe everything you read, then it could possibly be bad.
ReplyDeleteInternet is the greatest invent of scientific revolution. It provides much more helpful purposes than harmful ones. It is the readers who should be acknowledged about whether it is the wrong or right information they are reading online. Except for the issues on politics and religions, there is no right or wrong because different people believe in different aspects of the issue. Finally, if they know they are watching bad stuff from the internet why they still go and do it? Instead, they should found some reliable sources to read. They can ask for advises from their professors or parents what online sources are good
ReplyDeleteI'm sure even professors and parents have trouble shuffling out the garbage from the "logos," Kelly! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think every invention has a positive and a negative side. Internet is considered as the best technological invention. Back in the date, we were unable to find information about an issue or communicate in just a few seconds. The appeal of the internet made it easier. It offers many good things and we take advantage of them. However it could be dangerous for those who don’t use it properly.
ReplyDeleteI think that the internet, as is the same with every other human invention, can be used for both great good, or detrimental "evil," it all depends on how we use it and whether those who use them are prepared to do so and understand the repercussions of using them for twisted means.
ReplyDelete-Pablo
I believe that the internet can be good and bad. Anyone can put just about anything on the internet and sometimes it can be hard to determine what is true and what is not. Doing further research to determine whether or not the information is reliable is the answer to finding out what true. Sometimes teachers suggest reliable websites that they've used for a long period of time. If you want to be absolutely sure...do the research to find out.
ReplyDelete