The Internet makes you stupid?

Spiegel cover

This week is dedicated to THE MIRROR a question that so is not really quite so "gaga": "Does the Internet stupid". Pretty clever, because it's impulse to buy achieves the same for three target groups: the ones that are generally of the opinion that the "newfangled stuff" dumbed down (because they themselves do not speak), feel the other, provoked at once (because they pinpoint a bit too much with their online activities), and finally those who are interested in an intelligent discussion on this issue (see also the blog " media-read ").

To put it more directly: So really, none of the above three groups comes at their expense. It is all too familiar with the list of information services and opportunities, garnished with a couple of boxes to individual beliefs and describing content-poor examples. There may be "nice" if a company decides that Tuesday morning, no employee may retrieve mails and staff rejoice thereat. But what is to be the knowledge gained in the description of such examples? Or the hackneyed repetition of the multiplication of PowerPoint presentations and slides, continuously since 2003, a corresponding article was published [1], and whining, so that our students would be dumbed down?

"Copy down homework," it also leaves the focus on the representation of teachers and moaning of the list of relevant web addresses. No word on what, then, the real - namely: structural - concern. Plagiarism can only be those (educational) systems are dangerous, which are aligned on repetition of the familiar. If the system is created on the other hand, the processing of information, that understanding processes becomes the focal point, things look different now.

Well, is not even mentioned what I think would be with such issues by one of the key points: Keep the self-deception of many Web users, the morsels of information for "knowledge". I have a little time to write an essay in 2005 " The formation of Googleisierung called ". In 5 minutes you think you are, thanks to Google's directory as an expert on medical issues (it has the composition discovered a drug), as an expert in child maintenance issues (someone in a forum declared stoutly that pay you do not), as an expert in Tenancy (clearly one can emphasize the green kitchen, plus there is an EU decision). Those who have previously learned how to process information to know, categorize and evaluate these snacks - and are still in a good newspaper or grab a good book to get real background of knowledge. While those who get hold of videos in addition to fun and Tralala-song and a piece of text on the net, to brag to their regular table, but ... Never mind

Conclusion: topic would be worth a discussion, a few thin, the article also gives suggestions ago - but nothing more. And the answer to the question? This could look like this:

Sometimes, but sometimes ...

[1] Some articles of Edward Tufte, such as PowerPoint Is Evil , 2003. As a result, some German items mostly under the heading "PowerPoint makes you dumb", such as SZ Magazine No. 26/3/2004 dated.