Is the Internet "Making Us Stupid"?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Nowadays, it is possible for people to go out without cellphones. The internet makes our life easier and more convenient in every simple task, such as finding ways, reserving a table and even seeing a doctor. That is, people rely on their smartphones to solve most of the problems in living than in the past days. It is obvious that the internet makes us smarter but also degrades our independent thinking in the long term.
The curiosity is decreased by the online packaged information, when people are getting used to looking for the answer on the searching engine website. It is common that all we need information can be found on the internet, with the anonymous author, social media or business campaigns; however, it doesn't mean those contents are correct. By knowing these information with a simple click on the phone, it is efficient and fast to learn but no one will spend time solving the real problems simultaneously. That is, the process of finding solutions may be ignored. Although the internet provides accessible information, it actually harms the brainstorming process.
Misleading information leads to the crisis of critical thinking in every aspect of life. Everyone knows the online resource varies thoughts in our minds; nevertheless the exposure of messages changes our conception and norms. For instance, the news of the election for city mayors in 2018, the candidate of Taipei city mayor used strategies on social media to win the support of the young generation. In that period of time, people see all the advertising, policy discussion and videos covered with hopeful impressions, gradually lose their own viewpoints. The internet accelerated the message spreading and leads to a kind of brainwashing easily than the traditional marketing method. Therefore the misleading messages online makes people have difficulties in distinguish the accuracy and ambiguity, the influential impression planted in our mind become stereotype in the future.
In conclusion, the disadvantage of the internet outweighs the benefits for our human intelligence. While people have no interests in finding new ideas in life, it is hard to say the society can be improved in the near future. Also, the media exposure conveys the phenomenon of whether the audience needs to choose information or not by critical thinking.
