I.T. Not Dumbing Us Down

Worried that Twitter is shrinking attention spans, search engines lowering intelligence? Steven Pinker Far reassures us that “far from making us stupid, these (electronic) technologies are the only things that will keep us smart.” “Knowledge is increasing exponentially; human brainpower and waking hours are not. Fortunately, the Internet and information technologies are helping us manage, search and retrieve our collective intellectual output at different scales.” Yes, the barrage of information can be distracting or addictive, but that’s no new phenomenon. “The solution is not to bemoan technology but to develop strategies of self-control, as we do with every other temptation in life.”