Tools That Change the Way We Think

Answer this not-so-simple question: How does extensive Internet/media/technology use change the way you think? Focus on your memory, your ability to concentrate, your sense of time and priorities, and the subjects/topics that interest you most. If you find "thinking about your thinking" difficult to assess, try the following strategies: compare yourself with older people who did most of their formal learning before smart phones and 2.0 existed; compare yourself with contemporaries who don't use those tools much today; read up on what education leaders and thinkers have to say about generational differences in thinking (and remember to cite your sources).


Extensive use of technology in my mind doesn’t make you lazier. It’s more of a matter of convenience than a matter of interest. It would be illogical to skim through an encyclopedia when you can open the internet and after a search find the exact information if not more. This can make it more difficult to concentrate on something just because of the fact that in the back of your mind you see it as a waste of time to do it another way. It’s all a matter of how you use the tools that are given to you; people who get sidetracked whilst using the internet and technology probably would get more distracted if they had to do the same task at the library. The role of technology is to take something and refine it so that is becomes easier or more convenient and that is exactly what is happening here. While it may not always be the best information it is quick and easy to get. Now instead of having to look through the archives of a library to find obscure information about topics we don’t know much about, you can use your phone and the information you need, easier and faster. The only negative I can think of is that on the internet there are lots of articles where people interpret and give their opinion; instead of you reading the information and creating an opinion of your own. In that sense the internet does create an environment where thinking isn’t necessary, but also gives you an opportunity to look at something and understand where and when someone has put their opinions and ideas into the facts.