FINAL assignment

Two very good questions. My immediate gut response is the internet makes us smarter. Obviously, this is a general statement and response. Its always up to the individual whether to have more than an innate curiosity of the surrounding world. I start with a certain amount of brain power (capability), and then like other things, this can grow or improve with use and practice. It requires some desire for more. More knowledge, more capability, more rewards. The article touched on this matter, but in the broader terms of our current culture. Technology is fantastic, but it has upped the tempo of change. Can we as a society keep up? Societies from past eras seem to have similar proportions of intellectuals, the educated status quo, survivors and lower level base thinkers. From the evidence i have seen so far, many people are using this new medium of communication of ideas, content, entertainment, and dissemination of knowledge quite well. The possibilities seem endless. The transition of the internet, from web, web 2.0, then web 3.o is an example. Also, html, xhtml, and the new version the w3 organizations (standards committees), are working on currently. As i wrote in one of my previous assignments, the paths open to me by the WWW and internet are varied and many. I also get to choose what to focus on and invest my personal resources in to, especially time. My favorite idea from the article was the notion that "the nice thing about throwaway material is that it gets thrown away." (Shirky, 2010). The proliferation of junk content and use of the medium only to sell or entertain is sometimes discouraging when i think about the era and society i live in as a whole. But that last quote gives me hope. As more people get use to the meduim they discover along the way 'what else this thing is good for...". I have personally met some individuals who traditionally have not done well in the current 'classroom' environment, but seem to 'fly' on the computer and internet. It is said that necessity is the mother of invention, and now the internet expands on the idea. My personal needs, (and others) will dictate what i use the internet for. To quote Clay Shirky again, "our cognitive surplus is so enormous that diverting even a tiny fraction of time from consumption to participation can create enormous positive effects." On the internet we make use of links. I think this is organically how the brain works too. One idea or pursuit will lead to another, and individuals will 'stumble' upon new ways to think, new kernels of knowledge and new purposes for it. Because it is relatively still a new medium, what it is capable of in terms of how any given individual will make use of it, is still in the growth spurt. This idea of connectivity is both wonderful but also misleading. I have to focus on a piece of hardware to be 'connected'. I am interacting with others using the technology, but not always face to face. Humans need human touch, whether we realize it or acknowledge it. When i spend time with other techies, we still joke and poke, and interact humanly. My personal growth has been greatly enhanced just by the invention of the search engine. I get so much more, much more quickly. Then there are the inherent tangents that i will follow. Veer left, veer right! When a million people are participating in this new zeitgeist, what will follow? The author asks are we going "to integrate digital freedoms into society as well as we integrated literacy" (?). He seems to think so and i agree. There are always enough movers and shakers in our mix. Both the altruistic stripe, and the revolutionist; and even those with less than ideal motives cannot reverse what is becoming the norm. Widespread access to knowledge, media and each other. The next generation will make sure of that. I'm just glad i could be a part of it.

> Citation:
Author- Clay Shirky,
Article- "Does the internet make you smarter?".
Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2010
>> Author's credentials/work:
He has a joint appointment at New York University (NYU) as a Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and Assistant Arts Professor in the New Media focused graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) [3]
# ^ http://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2010/12/07/new-media-expert-clay-shirky-to-become-professor-at-nyus-carter-journalism-institute-tisch-school-of-the-arts.html
He has written and been interviewed extensively about the Internet since 1996. His columns and writings have appeared in Business 2.0, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Harvard Business Review and Wired.