Dumbest Generation Problems

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Recent advances in technology has been revolutionalizing research and quotidian activities alike. Over the 20th and 21st centuries, scientific advances have innoculated millions to prevent pathological breakouts and saved scholars the pain of performing rudimentary calculations time after time. Certainly no one can dispute the power of vaccines and computers; however, critics of certain inventions have brought up the insidious effects technology can bring. Most particularly, as technology helps us to solve more of our problems, critics argue that the human race will surely lose its innate problem-solving abilities. I believe scholars and scientists can overcome technology 's abilities to destroy their critical thinking abilities. On the other …show more content…

Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of the male author, but I can recall his message with certainty. He argued that technology hampers the learning process, which, in turn, means that millenials are dumber than prior generations. As part of his lengthy argument, he cites a study that piqued my interested as an undergraduate college student. During a typical college lecture, students who take their notes using their expensive, fancy computers actually retain less knowledge than students who opt for the traiditonal pen-and-paper way of taking notes. This occurs because the latter students must find ways to condense and shorten the facts and concepts presented - the time it takes for them to write just cannot engrave every single word uttered by their professor. Coincidentally, one of main methods we learn is by summarizing and condensing information. The computer users retain less knowledge because they inadvertently shun this learning method. Since most millenials can type much faster than they can write, it is actually feasible for those who use computers to copy down everything said by their professor. Because students who use computers learn less, they are more unable to critically think about the material presented to …show more content…

One would think that having access to all the world 's knowledge would make it easier to convert people to the truth, but studies have shown that it can cause closed-minded people to become even less receptive to ideas and less able to think for themselves. To begin, psychological studies have demonstrated that a debate between two people of differing beliefs can cause each to become even more attached to their respective beliefs. For instance, scientists arguing with anti-vaxxers over facts can actually cause anti-vaxxers to believe even more that vaccines cause autism. Perhaps this is a defense mechanism to preserve the image they have of themselves are smart, rational beings, or perhaps it is partly out of spite for the scientists who dare challenge their beliefs. Nevertheless, the Internet, whose various comment areas and chat rooms offer ample opportunities for these types of debates to occur, can exacerbate the perpetuation of false narratives. In addition, climate change deniers, creationists, and anti-vaxxers can confirm their sanity and beliefs by locating a plethora of websites advocating these false beliefs. This could seem to indicate that humans are better able to think for themselves since they can read whatever websites they wish, but the aforementioned