Synthesis Essay: Does Technology Make USupid?

The technology that surrounds us is changing the way we think. Humans have been influenced by our technology since the dawn of civilization. Now, it is the Information age that has created a new kind of human intelligence, a change in our thinking worthy of great enthusiasm and intense scrutiny. It seems like the majority of people believe the Internet and new media has diminished our memory, our creativity, and our intelligence. There is even research into the neurological effects of using Google. But every new innovation, from the written word to the telegraph, has triggered the very same fears. We fear that life will never be the same, that our culture is fading, and our intelligence eroding. But just as we did in the past, we have adapted. We are learning to use our new technology in unpredictable ways. It is through the use of modern technology that we now learn more and retain it longer, and we write and think
Writing became a tool they could use, but it didn’t make them dumber. Thompson notes how many people are panicking that our brains are being changed by today’s technology (354), but the evidence that technology makes us dumber is scarce and selective. Genevieve Roberts, journalist for The Independent, writes about the Google Effect in her article “Does Tech Make Us Stupid?” She writes that Dr. Maria Wimber, of the University of Birmingham's School of Psychology, believes the Google Effect, the theory that we've outsourced our memories to Google, “"makes us good at remembering where to find a given bit of information, but not necessarily what the information was” (Roberts). There is no question that the Internet has changed us, but we are living smarter. Having access to answers to any question imaginable is not making us stupid or lazy; it is strengthening our creative minds and allowing us to share ideas with others as never