We get educated to learn about the things around us. We learn about math, we learn how to read and write, grasp the awareness to function proficiently. We then enter the masses with this knowledge, this so we can effectively earn a living.
We graduate through school to learn how this world operates, which includes history, science, algebra, fitness. We then advance into adulthood thinking on our own resolve, a process which is designed to set us up for life, to succeed based on our aptitude.
For those who were educated before the Internet, before the computer was the most popular appliance, we had to learn everything manually, this by doing research and then applying the lessons.
The Internet Reveals All
We had to go to the library and actually do research from textbooks, to solve complicated equations and the mysteries of the world on our own. We were forced to use our brains to educate ourselves about these subjects.
Then computers became common, which was soon followed by the Internet. The “WWW” as we know it today, makes a mockery of the learning process, as anything you need to know is available by doing a search on Google.
Where we once had to research and learn actual information and cram our brains, the Internet can now do so instantly, provide all the answers, making the educational system today not as effective.
Any student who wants to learn something new about anything, all they need is to sharpen their searching skills, this to find and solve all of the queries they have.
Everything Is Now Exposed
It’s human nature to want to beat the system, to cheat. We also attempt to utilize our brains better by expanding it, this particularly when relying on known resources to disclose information to us.
Before the Internet, what we depended on was our parents, teachers, and life experiences, while doing diligent research by using encyclopedias or textbooks, this to learn a new subject.
Learning information about things such as which plants or insects are poisonous, which are edible or safe, we had to learn through word of mouth, or teaching.
When we needed to feed our thirst for wonder, which furnished our knowledge banks, we relied on reliable sources such as media or television.
Once we sourced out information from others, or when we needed to use other data such as textbooks, there was no confusion between what we knew, and the relay in what the source was providing.
In contrast, what we do now is use the Internet to retrieve this same information. We then get overwhelmed by the truth, confusing what we know and what we don’t know.
The Illusion Of Knowledge
What the Internet does is it provides us with an illusion of knowledge, this once we mindlessly search for information online, which is far too easy.
What we do is combine information that’s readily found on the Internet, with the actual knowledge that’s already in our heads, what we believe we know.
Once we decide to look for answers, something as simple as the ‘how’ or the ‘why’ questions which are commonly entered into Google, such as “Why do we drink water,” we generally already know the answer.
The question is simple enough so most will know what the results will be, but we’ll search the Internet anyways, just to confirm the details. Once we look up simple queries this way, we think we’re more smarter because of it.
This in our ability to give explanations on things which are completely irrelevant, which are no use to us, this when compared to those who don’t regularly use the Internet.
When we use the Internet to get answers, what we expect is to have increased brain activity, this when it comes to providing better explanations, or when answering other unrelated questions.
The Internet Reveals All
What’s known is that just accessing the Internet alone, won’t justify our overconfidence when it comes to our own knowledge.
What this knowledge illustrates is that the illusion was specific, this by searching the Internet, this regardless of the type of search performed.
What’s also not that important was what the search produced had any viable answers, or if it produced any answers at all.
It appears that the act of searching for knowledge online, does is it fools the brain into thinking that we have more answers than we actually do.
To Outsource The Internet
What we now do is outsource everything that we need to know or learn to the Internet, as we surrender to technology.
What the results of all this suggests, is that because of this outsourcing, we really don’t bother to learn anything new anymore, because the Internet can instantly provide all the answers.
As the Internet makes information much more accessible, what we begin to think is that we no long need to retain any type of information, because it’s unnecessary.
What we eventually end up doing is thinking that we’re relaying external information into our minds, when we’re actually not.
Then what we’ll unwittingly exaggerate is how much intellectual knowledge that we have, this in situations when they’re actually not our own.
Students Not Educating
For instance, a student who constantly relies on the Internet to retrieve information, this to do their homework, may be at a disadvantage during exams.
Once they find themselves actually writing the exam, is when they’ll realize how little they actually know about a subject, this because they relied on the Internet too much.
What appears like a relatively innocuous shift in our technological dependence to retrieve information, could potentially have profound effects, this when it comes to making sense of our daily lives.