The Internet has wrought incredible changes to learning, both in what we can learn and the way that we learn it. Not only is the information of the world largely available (free of charge) at our fingertips, but we also increasingly have access to new ideas and bright minds from around the world.
Is all of this actually making us smarter though? There has been a great deal of discussion over the years on the impact of the Internet on our brains, with respected voices ranging from Nick Carr to Susan Greenfield suggesting that the web is actually making us dumber.
Whilst this may seem hard to understand given the tremendous opportunities the web affords us, a recent Yale-led study suggests they may have a point.
The study, which consisted of nine separate experiments, found that when we obtain knowledge online, we perceive our knowledge as much greater than we do when the knowledge is obtained through other channels.
“This was a very robust effect, replicated time and time again,” the researchers say. “People who search for information tend to conflate accessible knowledge with their own personal knowledge.”
For example, two groups were tasked with finding out how zippers work. One group looked online, whilst another were given more tangible resources to search in.
When the participants from the two groups were asked afterwards how good their knowledge was of unrelated domains, those from the online group believed their knowledge was far superior to that of the offline group.
Intriguingly, when the same participants were quizzed prior to the experiment, no such differences were present.
What’s more, this effect was so pronounced that people even had an inflated sense of their knowledge having answered the question incorrectly.
“The cognitive effects of ‘being in search mode’ on the Internet may be so powerful that people still feel smarter even when their online searches reveal nothing,” the authors reveal.
They go on to suggest that this sensation of the web being almost an appendage of our brain is particularly pronounced among younger people, where there could be a considerable distortion to our perceived knowledge levels caused by the degree with which we’re plugged into the net.
Haha, interesting stuff. I suppose the question is, do we need to know things ourselves, or simply know where to locate it?
I wonder if the same happens with any second hand information? ie was the same thing happening before the Internet?
Interesting point Paul. I suppose it's almost akin to having read a book on a topic and believing oneself to know lots on that subject.
I did some research via Google and can confirm this to be certainly true.
Haha, touche 🙂
I wonder if this also applies to things like visits to the doctor? We have so much information available to us now online, I wonder if it's not making us unduly confident in our hack diagnosis?
Interesting question Amanda. Quite possibly so, hence why we've seen campaigns such as that in Belgium to stop people Googling their symptoms.
No, of course not, we have so much knowledge out there now.
It's neither making us smart or dumb imo, but rather restructuring how we think about knowledge.
Interesting research. I like to think that the internet enables us to do things we could not have otherwise
I think it depends how good you are at digesting the information you consume.
The net is just like any other tool. If you have the right intent going into it, and use it with regard to its intended purpose, it is effective. If you don't, you are running the risk of making what you're applying it to worse than if you hadn't bothered. The information gleaned from the net has to be put in proper context and vetted. People then need to apply what they've learned and modify mindset if necessary. But one has to go in with an open mind, and not simply look to bolster existing ignorance.
The Internet can be good and bad for you. There is a lot of info. avaible to the reader and the researcher. But remember it can be truth or lie. Some wisdom is good for you but when misused it can destroy you. LIke Eve in the bible, the fruit was pleasant to the eyes and will make one wise, but she was told not to take thereof. And this became her down fall. It can also be Ours.
In drawing on my educational experience as an instructor I can tell you the ease of finding information on the Internet has degraded critical thinking skills. People are less inclined to try and figure something out versus doing a search on the internet. It seems to be used more as a crutch than a tool. Of course….many people said this when the scientific calculator came along. Hmm…how many teens and pre-teens can do basic math these days? I wonder…