Mark Bauerlain claims Americans under 30 possess lower knowledge levels than older Americans and deems them “The Dumbest Generation”. Many agree with this statement, believing that the rise of technology and the media has resulted in intellectual shortcomings in younger generations. While technology has changed how we process and learn information, it has not lessened the intelligence of younger generations. Numerous studies have shown that technology exercises minds, provides information, and improves thinking ability. Because of the added access to information younger generations gain through innovation, they are not “the dumbest”. Research proves that younger generations are not the dumbest. Multiple studies have concluded that being immersed …show more content…
Cognitive scientists call this “fluid intelligence” because it can be applied to problems in any domain (Source 2). This evidence shows that younger people’s limited knowledge of facts (which older people think are important) reflects not dumbness or impaired abilities, but choice. Cognitive scientist Marcel Just states, “We are gradually changing from a nation of callused hands to a nation of agile brains. Insofar as new information technology exercises our minds and provides more information, it has to be improving thinking ability.” Technology has allowed young ones to access new information and strengthen their logic. In conclusion, the evidence says that kids, teenagers, and young adults are not the dumbest. Through new forms of technology and increased online activity, young people have gained various forms of technical and media literacy (Source 3) and gained real-world skills. The Digital Youth Project conducted a study of the effects of digital media on young people, and the results showed that friendship and interest-driven online activities help kids learn expression, social etiquette, and respect (Source …show more content…
For example, author Mizuko Ito states, “New media allows for a degree of freedom and autonomy for youth that is less apparent in a classroom setting. Youth respect one another’s authority online, and they are often more motivated to learn from peers than adults.” In addition, Source 2 states, “Their efforts are also largely self-directed, and the outcome emerges through exploration.” Therefore, students also gain independence and confidence to explore new media. The study of the Digital Youth Project demonstrated that advancing tech has opened new opportunities for youth learning. How could these generations be the dumbest if they constantly absorb information and strengthen new skills? Experts say younger people have opened the door for a literacy revolution, and that those generations have learned important writing skills. To demonstrate, Andrea Lunsford, a professor at Stanford University who organized a project to scrutinize college students’ prose, said, “I think we’re in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven’t seen since Greek civilization” (Source
The author claims that the working of a human brain is deeply affected by the technological advances of the current age. Closely administered behavior of Digital Natives reveals that they have sharper cognitive skills as compared to the Digital Immigrants of the previous generation. She begins by quoting Palfrey and Gasser as her counter-argument, who acknowledge the difference between the current and previous generations, thus: “These kids are different. They study, work, write and interact with each other in ways that are very different from the ways that you di...
“The Dumbest Generation” is a title no group of people want to behold. Nonetheless, people under age thirty have been given this belittling title. To those who go off questions about obsolete general knowledge rather than the ability to take in and evaluate knowledge, this title may seem quite fitting. However, Millennials aren’t quite as dull as they’ve been perceived to be. The ability of Millennials to absorb information, rather than know general facts, and their use of contemporary technology as reading and writing resources has proven that they are quite an innovative and bright generation.
In “Cultural Illiteracy,” a preface to the novel The Dumbest Generation, Mark Bauerlein critically evaluates how technological distractions affect the younger generation. Bauerlein states that “digital diversions” are cutting the younger generation off from culturally enhancing mediums and is in turn making the younger generation less intelligent. Though Bauerlein is correct about the increase of peer pressure due to technology, he is mistaken about how technology is making the younger generation unintelligent.
Has the modernization of the twentieth century made us smarter or has it hindered our brains to think in 140 characters or less? In the article, “Brain Candy”, Steven Johnson argues that the “steady upward trajectory” in global I.Q scores is due to what we thought was making us dumber: popular culture. However, this romantic critic is too rooted in his technology- age ideology. While Johnson claims that everything bad is good for us, family themed-programing is being replaced by fabricated reality television shows and channels specialized in selling, video games are hindering our reading and writing skills, and books are becoming things of the past. Johnson insists that popular culture is making us smarter, but is stupid the new smart?
Mark Bauerlein the author of The Dumbest Generation, claims that people under thirty are the dumbest generation in modern history. Many people call us the dumbest generation because we have the Internet. The Internet does not make our generation “dumb”, it makes us one of the most advanced generation yet. There is much evidence to support both side however it is clearly evident that this generation is not the dumbest.
Steven Pinker and Nicholas Carr share their opposing views on the effects that mass media can have on the brain. In Carr’s Atlantic Monthly article “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” it explores his viewpoints on how increased computer use affects our thought process in a negative manner. Carr critically analyzes that having widespread access to the internet via the internet has done more harm by disabling our ability to think complexly like it is the researching in a library. On the other hand, Pinker expresses how the media improves our brain’s cognitive functions. Pinker expresses that we should embrace the new technological advances and all we need is willpower to not get carried away in the media. Although both authors bring very valid arguments
Have you ever wondered if our generation is the dumbest? Well, there’s some evidence to prove so. Generation ‘Y’ is considered to be the dumbest generation of all. This is based on numerous experiments, polls, surveys, etc. While everything else in this world is rising, intellect of each generation is falling. With the ignorance of facts, by choice, and lack of some education, Generation ‘Y’ is considered to be the dumbest generation.
In the article “Does The Internet Make you Smarter?” the author, Clay Shirky is an American writer, consultant and teacher on the social and economic effects of Internet technologies. He states his argument about whether or not the internet is making society smarter and whether it enhances the success individuals achieve in life. To do this, he uses surveys as evidence and his past experiences on the effects of internet on society to persuade his audience to show his credibility. His main idea of the article was explaining to his readers that the internet is indeed making society more intelligent. He provides the audience with many contrasting points on how the media is making us smarter as a society,
Elsa Barthel Mr. Campbell AP Language and Composition 3 March 2024 Synthesis Term Paper What if someone told you that they think your children- born, unborn, doesn’t matter- are 100% stupid because they’re part of a ‘dumb generation’? Such a remark is so sweeping and inconsiderate that it almost seems untrue. Nonetheless, Mark Bauerlin made such a statement; he claims that those under thirty are “the dumbest generation” because of their lack of ‘in-the-know-ness’.
He raises concerns about the impact of technology on cognition. Despite addressing the mass amount of information provided to the public online, Bauerlein highlights the steady increase in human intelligence. He argues that “young Americans today are no more learned or skilled than their predecessors, no more knowledgeable, fluent, up-to-date, or inquisitive, except in
The advent of the internet signaled a revolutionary shift for society, in which participation in massive amounts of information was easily and rapidly accessible to any connected country. This digital revolution gave rise to monolithic digital communities that dominate the web and strongly influence the globe; Twitter helped Belarusian youth organize flash-protests against their authoritarian government in 2006, while Wikileaks continues to serve as a public international clearing-house for whistle-blowers. But despite these resounding stories of success, concern is spreading that there is an underlying problem with our digitally enhanced society – especially in the western world. Widespread debate has been sparked by the digital revolution over modern technology's influence on younger generations, with experts combating each other over whether the internet is dulling or expanding young minds. This debate is not restricted to education, but extends to cover issues of morality and perspectives. Education issues are tied to lacking cultural awareness and political activism, but world-views are a separate and altogether more severe problem for the next generation. As the internet becomes more embedded in our lives, youth are retreating into the isolation of private social bubbles and turning reality into a remote abstract concept. Apathetic, amoral and disconnected youth in the western world are spreading to replace the active socially charged older generations.
Digital communication is impairing young users from having real life conversations. For example, in the article “Teens Have A Smart Reason For Abandoning Facebook And Twitter,” the author, Felicity Duncan, reports “If college students spend most of their media time on group text and
In an era where all of the world’s information is readily available at our fingertips, it is difficult to imagine what life was like before the Internet. Today. people get anxiety attacks at the thought of a slow wireless connection. God forbid a webpage takes five minutes to load; we are left with rage and disappointment. Is the Internet making people stupid? Despite the fact that research on the detrimental effects of the Internet is still young, there is no doubt that the Internet is changing the way one thinks, but it is not necessarily making one “dumber.” What it is doing, however, is bringing to light some bad habits that are affecting the way we process information. The Internet is making us lazy and unable to memorize information.
Editorial Team. (2014, June 30). 4 Ways the Internet Is Making Kids Smarter. In ELearningInfographics.com. Retrieved from
Children of all ages everywhere these days seem to only depend on the internet. The internet is an amazing creation, but people take advantage of it. Since there is internet there is access to all kinds of social media, games, and all sorts of other things. However, because of today’s society internet is one of the only things kids use and go on, whether it’s go on Facebook for hours or watch ridiculous videos on YouTube, the internet is taking a negative turn towards children, their brains, smartness, and attitude. Despite helpful or early learning programs, the internet does not make children smarter.